All Of The Stars
by WalkingPotterGirl14
Summary: Lucy was broken from the past, her best friend gone, her mother dead, and her home destroyed. Only her daughter has kept her going. But when she's taken back to the prison group, she finds someone just as damaged as her. Looks like it was a small world after all.
1. Chapter 1

**Don't know where this story came from in my screwed up brain, but whatev :) **

* * *

_So open your eyes and see_  
_The way our horizons meet_  
_And all of the lights will lead_  
_Into the night with me_  
_And I know these scars will bleed_  
_But both of our hearts believe_  
_All of these stars will guide us home__  
_

_-All Of The Stars (Ed Sheeren)_

* * *

**Flashback**

Noise was blaring through the streets that not even the most concentrated person in the world could stay concentrated.

Well, that's at least what Lucy thought.

The cold wind blared as she made sure to make her way as quick as she could to the dance studio. Granted, she was graduating in two years, and moving onto bigger and better things, but she still needed to make money and pay off her debts. And her apartment. And Samantha. The girl was only two, but she still cost a lot. Thank God Lucy was pretty good when it came to paying bills.

"Son of a bitch," she hisses when the cold air bites her. She could be home right now, with Samantha, watching some stupid horror or comedy movie, but no, she had to be called into teach a class some stupid dance, forcing herself to call Quinn and make sure that Samantha had someone watching her for the rest of the afternoon. She felt like shit for making this happen on such short notice, but obviously her job right now was what was keeping them both alive. Not her parents, not her school, and most certainly not her slacking around.

The door to the dance studio finally appears and Lucy smiles thankfully. Stepping in, she takes off her jacket and steps inside, placing it on the coat rack. As soon as she turns around, she is practically tackled by her boss, Sue. Her eyes were happy and her smile was fully there, but with how cold Lucy was feeling, she was finding it hard to try and find the love.

"Thank you for coming this soon." Lucy smiles and awkwardly hugs her back. She had never been that great with contact to her bosses pr anything of that sort, but as long as she was getting payed overtime, that was all that mattered.

"It's fine, Sue." She steps back and glances behind her. "Where are the lucky kids I'm teaching today?" Sue nods her head down the hallway and begins to walk, Lucy right on her heels. When she gets to the dance studio, she was already hearing OMG playing on the stereo. Something told her this was a hip hop class. Sue opens the door and Lucy steps inside, getting a good look at all the kids.

They all looked to be somewhere between the ages of seven and twelve, a simple beginner class. She could make some stuff up to give them an hour. All eyes turn to her as she steps in. Sue takes the opportunity to introduce her.

"Sorry for the wait kids, but for today, Ms. Caroline isn't going to be in. But we do have someone who is just as good, and this is Lucy. She'll be teaching you today. And I'm sure you'll very much enjoy her." All the kids seemed slightly scared of the new teacher, and Lucy could understand why. Ms. Caroline was very strict, and she didn't let them have much song choice. Lucy was much more laid back. "I'll be in the main office if anyone needs me. Take it away, Lucy." She leaves and closes the door behind her.

"Well, hi," she says sweetly to the kids. They all say hi back, some a bit more hesitant than others. "First off, when you're dancing with me, no one is limited to their opinion. If you have any suggestions, any at all, please tell me. It's always cool to incorporate what you want into the dance. I'm an open book. Second, I heard you listen to OMG. You like Usher?" Some kids cheer while others nod their heads.

Lucy walks over to the stereo and takes out the CD, then places in another one. She smiles when it starts to play, and she hears the kids gasp behind her. She turns around, her hands on her hips.

"I'm sure you'll like 'DJ Got Us Fallin'." She turns to the mirror. "Trust me. This is a fav. Ok, let's get started!"

~%~

She closes the door behind her and sighs tiredly. Those kids had more energy in them then a dog in a giant, green field in the middle of the country. She had been there for more then an hour, as the kids had persisted she stay because they didn't want to stop. Of course, being the mushy person she was, she agreed and ended up pulling something in her leg. Powering through it, she had made her way home in the cold, fall air, but now, all she wanted to do was lay down and go to sleep. But she couldn't.

"Hey," she hears a soft voice say. Lucy looks up and smiles at Quinn.

"Hey," she sighs back, getting up onto her hurt leg. "I'm so sorry I called you. I feel like shit, and the fact that I was there longer then I said I would be makes it worse." Quinn shakes her short, dirty blonde locks.

"It's fine, Lucy," she chuckles. "You know I love that little girl. She's adorable." Lucy smiles.

"Still, thank you. Here, I'll give you anything, money?" Quinn rolls her eyes.

"Keep your money. I gotta get home. Got a project to finish. Did you finish that singing sheet for Mr. Sheen?" Lucy cringes.

"I knew I forgot something," she mumbles. Quinn laughs, her green eyes light.

"I knew you'd be busy. That's why I brought my project from last year for you to use. Just make a few tweaks and it'll e perfect." Lucy grins and throws her arms around her in a tight embrace.

"Man, I love you," she snickers. Quinn was a year older then her, but felt like the older sister she never had. She pulls back and looks down the hallway. "Is she asleep? Or is she awake?" Quinn shrugs her shoulders.

"She complained she was tired a while ago, but I don't know what the heck that girl wants. She may be adorable, but damn is she confusing." Lucy laughs.

"You get used to it after spending every day with her. Hey, I'll call you later, ok? You just head back to you apartment and I'll see ya tomorrow." Quinn smiles and heads towards the door.

"Don't forget to tweak the project! Mr. Sheen remembers everyone!" Lucy nods.

"I won't!" The apartment door closes and Lucy sets off towards the small nursery towards the back. When she opens the door, she's met with a girly giggle and she smiles. Walking in, she sees Samantha up at the foot of her crib, her small hands resting on the bar, taking look at her mommy through her messy light brown locks. Lucy walks over to the crib and picks her up into her arms. She bops her small nose, making Sam giggle. "There's my pretty girl."

~%~

Lucy's eyes almost closed as she was lying on the couch watching some romance movie. She thought it was 'The Notebook,' but to be honest she didn't really care. They had never been her sort of movie. But when Sam's gleeful laughter kept her eyes open, she made sure to stay awake. She couldn't leave her little two year old out on the carpet while she slept.

"Mommy, look!" she says. Lucy looks over and sees that Sam had drawn what looked to be a big pink blob, but in her mind she guessed it was something amazing. Lucy smiles.

"It looks amazing, sweetie. Why don't you draw another one?" She goes right back to her drawing and Lucy lays her head back on the pillow, sighing deeply. She felt herself doing that a lot lately. A yawn escapes her, but before she could properly react to such an annoyance, her phone vibrated under her body. Reaching out, she grabs her iPhone, plugs in the passcode, and sees that Quinn had texted her. Her brow furrows when she reads the text.

**Quinn :)**

**Dude, are you watching the news?**

**They're telling everyone to evacuate the city!**

**Turn to Channel 12!**

Lucy's brow furrows as she places her phone down and grabs the remote, switching to the channel she had suggested, and sure enough, there was a human being on the screen, talking to the people of Long Island and Manhattan, to leave their homes and go to safe zones.

**"There has been an outspread, worldwide epidemic, and government officials are suggesting a mandatory evacuation of homes and apartments for the good of the people around this area. Alarms will be sounded..."**

"Well, crap," she mumbles, standing up from the chair. Looks like her nap would need to be postponed. Sam looks up with a confused face as Lucy picks her up in her arms. She grabs a small backpack, loads some clothes and child stuff into it, and heads out into the hallway, closing the door behind her.

"Where are we going, mommy?" she asks. Lucy shrugs her shoulders.

"I don't know, honey. But I can tell I don't have to do that Music project that's due tomorrow for a long time."

~%~

**Present~Two Years Later~**

"Mommy, can you help me?" Samantha asks as she tries to untangle her hair with an old brush they had found. Lucy steps back from the counter in the old cabin they had found, looking into the small living room to find her four year old struggling to get a brush through her mess of a hair.

Lucy chuckles and places her knife down on the counter, heading over to Sam's side. She kneels down to her height and holds her hands out for the brush. "Come on, give it to me," she states softly.

Sam sighs and places the brush in her hands, and Lucy starts to slowly comb through the messy brown knots. That was something Lucy noticed easily. Before this, Samantha's hair had been a light brown, but now, probably because of all the sun they had been getting, it was darker. More of a dark brown then a light brown.

"Your hair is so pretty, you know that, right?" she says soothingly to Sam while one of the knots finally gets worked out. Sam pouts.

"Not right now." Lucy chuckles.

"No, you always have nice hair. You're blessed to have wavy hair, you just need to learn how to take care of it." She grabs a hairband off her wrist and ties her hair up in a high ponytail, making sure to get as much hair into it as possible. Even then, a few strands hung loose around her face. "But for now, all we need to focus on is keeping it brushed and keeping it up."

"Why do you get to keep it down, mommy?" she asks, turning around and fingering a piece of Lucy's hair. She smiles and brings Sam's finger down to her side.

"Because if one of the monsters comes near us, they'll get to me first because they can pull my hair. You can get away." Samantha looks down at the ground sadly, her dark blue eyes tearing up slightly.

"I don't want to think about that," she mumbles. Lucy sighs.

"Well, if we're still alive now, I think we'll be fine. So there's no need to worry about it, ok?" Samantha looks up and smiles.

"Ok," she replies happily. "Are we staying here?" Lucy nods.

"But only for the night. I already placed some traps around here in case some of this things want to intrude, but we still need to get some stuff to eat. So we have to make it quick." She goes back into the small kitchen and grabs her knife, then walks back to Samantha with a new determinate look in her eyes. "Stay by my side at all time, remember?"

Samantha nods. "Yes, mommy." Lucy smiles.

"That's my girl. Come on, let's go."

~%~

One hour later, and three small animals dangling in Lucy's hands, the two girls made their way back to the cabin, their stomachs growling and their mouths drooling with desire to eat. Samantha looked at the little creatures. She frowns.

"I wish we didn't have to hurt them," Sam says softly. Lucy looks down at the little girl and sighs sadly.

"I know, Sam. But in this world it's eat or be eaten. This is life now. I'm pretty sure you don't want to eat no spoiled food in some old food store, right?" Sam shakes her head.

"No," she replies. "I don't want a moldy sandwich." Lucy snickers.

"Then let's eat some meat. These things aint gonna skin themselves." Sam clutches onto her mothers side as they cross over a small stream in the ground. The branch was too loose, but it fit just their weight so that it wouldn't break.

When they reach the other side, Lucy places a hand out in front of Sam to stop her from going. Her brow furrows as she listens closely. Sam looks up confused. "Mommy, what's-"

"Shh," she commands. Sam shuts her mouth and places her hand in Lucy's free one tightly. When mommy said to be quiet, you were quiet.

Lucy takes a step and finally hears what she had been trying to figure out. The sounds of many mouths groaning and gurgling, growling and hissing. There was a herd coming. They needed to get back to the house as quick as they could.

She places the animals in the small bag she had brought and unshielded her gun from her belt. She uses her other arm to lift Sam up and away from the ground. "You need to stay quiet, Sammy, ok? The monsters are coming towards us and we need to get back to the house in one piece. So keep that pretty little mouth shut."

Sammy makes a motion of zipping up her mouth and throwing the key away. Lucy smiles at her cute little action. Even in the worst of situations, the kid always found a way to make it a little less stressful.

Lucy tries to run as quietly as she could so she wouldn't attracts any of the biters attention, all while trying to dodge the trees and keeping a firm grip on her gun and Samantha. The moaning grew louder, but Lucy didn't fret. She saw the cabins wooden doors coming up.

As soon as she reached the boundaries she had set up, she quickly climbs over and goes to the door. As soon as she opens and closes the door, she sees the first of them. And there were many more. She had to make sure to keep the windows boarded up.

Placing Samantha down on the ground, she leans down to her height and starts firing off instructions. "In the kitchen, there's some more wood. Bring it to me, ok? They're small pieces." Sam nods and takes off while Lucy places some curtains and wood up on the windows to block out that there were people inside. Sam scrambles back into the room a moment later, three pieces in her hands.

Lucy takes them and places all of the wood on the last window. The moaning grew louder, but because they got the stuff up, assholes had no clue they were in there. Lucy sighs happily and glances down at Samantha with a triumphant smirk. "You did well, little girl," she says, rubbing her head of messy curls.

Samantha giggles at the gesture, only to be stopped when both hear the distinct sound of something crashing in the basement. Lucy pushes Sam behind her and takes out her knife. She did not want to believe that there were those horrible looking things in this place they called a haven for the night, but there was no chance in hell she was firing off a gun when there were maybe hundreds of those things right outside the door.

She looks behind her and makes sure that Samantha far behind her but still close enough if more than one came stumbling out. Then, kicking the door open with her foot as quickly as she could, she aims to throw her knife into the head of one of them, the joy in her eyes of watching the blood drip down their skull and onto the poorly made bed behind it.

Only to be met with a crossbow pointed straight at her.

Well, that was different.

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**Well, that's chapter one. What do you think? Reviews inspire me :)Luv ya!**


	2. Chapter 2

In Lucy's opinion, she didn't really know what to do in that moment when she saw an actual live man standing in front of her. Samantha and herself hadn't seen a living person in forever. It had probably been months. Granted, they had been with a small group when all this started, that group including Quinn. But then a herd came by and they had gotten separated. Ever since then, it had just been her and the girl.

Dark blue eyes were set on light blue, and Lucy made sure to not let herself look like she was some silly little stick. This man was much bigger then her, and she had experienced encounters like that in the past. Samantha was the proof of what could happen. But there was no way she was going to let anything like that happen again. Not to Sam, not to her, not to anyone.

"Who the hell are you?" she asks, her knife still ready in the air to throw. One sudden movement and she swore to God he would be stabbed in an instance. The man doesn't back down with the crossbow. "What do you want?"

"I don't want shit," the man replies back roughly. Lucy could sense the southern accent in his voice, something she had actually never really heard. Her brow furrows. Were they in the south? She still thought they were up north. Had they really traveled that far?

"Then why are you here?" she hisses. She was not letting this go easily.

"Same reason ya are. To get away from this herd." A moan from outside silences her. He had a point. If she was looking for a place to hide from them and she saw an abandoned house, she would probably go to it, besides the fact that someone else might be in there. But she still kept her knife up in defense. She wasn't heartless, so she wasn't going to send this guy back into the field of fire, but she wasn't stupid either.

"How'd you get in here anyway? The place is rigged." He snorts, crossbow still pointed.

"The walkers are dumb, but I aint." Her head tilts at the nickname. Walkers? That must be what he called them. "Any breathing man can step over those traps." His eyes travel to her knife still aimed. "And I think this would go better if ya place the knife down." Her eyes narrow.

"How do I know you won't shoot that bow when I place it?"

"Because I say I won't." She stares at him for a second, a small piece of curly, dark brown hair falling in front of her blue eyes. A gust of air comes out of her mouth as she tries to blow it away. He didn't seem harmless, especially with that damn weapon pointed at her, but he looked like he was telling the truth, something she didn't get often in the new fucked up world.

Sighing, she places the knife down by her side, and as she does the crossbow man places his down as well. He kept to his word. She looks up at him and places her hands on her hips.

"Look, I'm not a monster, so I'm not going to send you out there with all those...creatures roaming around. But if you so much as give me a hint of betrayal or lying, a smudge of something bad you might do, I will not hesitate to chop of your dick and string it up a tree. I'm not shitting around, especially with a little girl in my hands."

"I aint gonna do anythin'. I just want to stay here until they're gone and I'll be out of your hands as soon as they are." She swallows a bit and then nods.

"Good." She looks down at the floor a bit awkwardly. Jesus, she totally forgotten how to communicate properly. She grew up in New York for God's sake. Communication was the main thing she did there. But thankfully the sound of a little girls voice prevented her from talking for a minute.

"Mommy?" Samantha comes rushing into the room and latches onto her mothers leg. She looks up at the stranger with a titled head. "Who's he?" she asks. Lucy looks up and almost laughs. She hadn't even asked the guys name.

"I don't even know," she replies. Samantha lets go of her leg and rushes up to the man with a smile. "Sam-"

"I'm Samantha," she says cutely, sticking out her hand for him to shake. Lucy pinches the bridge of her nose. This kid was going to be the death of her. But what surprised her was that she heard a deep chuckle come from the man, and that made her look right back up.

"Daryl," he replies. She raises an eyebrow. Daryl? That had to be one of the most southern names she had ever heard in her life. Then again, she was in the south apparently.

A small smile graces her lips. Well, that wasn't the reaction she was expecting. Most people just ignored little kids in this world, kids like Samantha and all the things they tried to do to make people smile. But no, this stranger actually wasn't a dick like most men she had come across since this shit storm began.

"Did mommy throw the knife at you?" she asks. He shakes his head.

"Nah, but she was gonna." Sam turns around with a furrowed brow.

"Why?" Lucy rolls her eyes.

"I wasn't going to, sweetie." Well, that was partially true. If he tried anything she would. She moves her eyes from Sam to him. "I'm Lucy, by the way." He nods sharply at this, and Lucy sees that he was listening to the sounds outside. Smart. She looks out into the hallway and realizes that she still had food to eat. She looks back a bit awkwardly at them. "Uh...Daryl. right?" she asks.

He spares her a glance and nods.

"Sam and I brought back some animals we, uh...gotta skin and cook. I mean, since you're here do you want some?" She could at least be a bit polite. Samantha smiles, nodding her head.

"Mommy makes really good rabbit," she says. Daryl looks down at the kid and sighs quietly.

"Well, I aint going nowhere," he replies. He looks at Lucy and nods. "Yeah, I could go for some."

~%~

The light had diminished greatly when the food was finished. And as much as Lucy hated to admit it-and she really fucking hated it-the guy could skin an animal faster then her. Like, super fast. And dinner was served quicker then she could have if it was just her skinning.

While she had started a fire somehow to cook the crap over, she would listen outside. Some of those things would stumble, and make noise, and that's when she knew they weren't gone yet. This was a huge herd. But at the same time she would listen to Sam talk to Daryl.

Samantha was something Lucy liked to call outgoing. She was young, but she always had a smile for everyone, even people who were mean. And she was much more outgoing then Lucy had ever been. Lucy had always been a person who was locked up in herself, especially after what happened when she was eighteen. The only person she ever confided in was Quinn, and she was gone now. Or at least Lucy would not be seeing her for a long time.

And as she finished everything up in the small kitchen, she saw that she was intently listening to something he was telling her. What it was, she didn't know, but Sam was head on in it. The little smile on her face proved it.

Now, Sam was happily sitting on the floor some paces away from Lucy, drawing on some paper they had found a while back. Lucy sat on the floor as did Daryl, but even so she still sat a little away. Even if Sam was so open to people Lucy found it hard to trust in this world.

"Do you think it'll clear up anytime soon?" she asks quietly, taking another bite of her rabbit. Daryl shrugs, glancing at the boarded up windows.

"If I could see 'em I'd be better for me to know," he replies a bit snappy. "But judgin' by the noise outside, I don't think those assholes are going anywhere anytime soon." Lucy rolls her eyes and looks down at her plate.

"Excuse me for trying to keep my daughter safe," she grumbles. Daryl looks down at her, a quizzical look on his face.

"What's wrong with ya?" he snorts. She raises an eyebrow.

"You literally just said 'If I could see them i'd be better for me to know.' I was trying to protect my daughter. And I'd rather not see them then be in plain sight." He rolls his eyes at her statement.

"What ya did was smart. I aint saying anything bad about it. Just saying ya could have stayed on the ground if ya didn't want them to see ya." She crosses her arms, placing her animals to the side. She as suddenly full.

"Whatever," she mumbles. She looks at this plate and finds that all of the food was gone. "How was it?"

"Good," he replies. She smiles a bit. It felt nice to hear that from someone other then her daughter. "How'd ya learn to skin 'em though? Ya take for fucking ever." Her eyes widen.

"Watch the language," she growls at him lowly. His eyes roll again. "I just learned because of this world. I see you did that really quickly. Have you been doing it your whole life?" He didn't respond for a second before he hummed out a yes. Something told her that was personal, so she stepped away from the subject. "I know this is stupid, but where are we?" He raises an eyebrow.

"Ya don't know where ya are?" he asks. She smiles sheepishly.

"I thought my daughter and I were still somewhere north, but when I heard you voice I knew we had to be down south somewhere." He chuckles at this.

"Georgia." Her eyes widen. Yup, there was no fucking way she would ever see Quinn again. God dammit.

"Jesus," she whispers. "I didn't think we went that far."

"Where did ya come from?" he asks.

"New York City." He whistles.

"That's a long way home," he snickers. She rolls her eyes this time.

"Don't I know it," she replies, leaning against the back of the couch. Her eyes travel to Sam and she smiles. She was so concentrated on the little doodle she was doing. Daryl looks at the little girl and then at Lucy. Well, there was no doubt that the kid was hers. Same eyes, same hair. But Lucy looked so young to have a kid. Granted, it wasn't his information to know, but as usual, curiosity got the better of him.

"How old is she?" he asks. She smiles.

"Four, and counting. She was two when all this started."

"How old are ya?" he asks next.

"Twenty two." He raises an eyebrow.

"And that little girls yours?" She frowns and brings her knees up to her chest. Wrapping her arms around her legs, she pushes them against her body and lays her chin against the top of them.

"Yeah," she says quietly. Daryl looks down at the ground, trying to find the way to form the words.

"If ya don't mind me asking', where's the dad?" She looks at her feet and sighs, shaking her head.

"Long gone," she murmurs. She takes a deep breath and shakes the memory out of her head. She would not break down here, in front of guy who was practically a stranger. "We were with a group for a few months, but then we all got separated when one of these herds came through. Since then, Sammy and I have been alone." She looks back at him. "We've come across some pretty fucked up people, so I'm sorry I was sort of...brash earlier. I'm just not used to...nice people."

He nods, understanding where she was coming from. After everything that's happened to his group, especially with the Governor and everyone helping him, he knew it was hard to trust people.

"It's fine," he replies. "I would do the same thing." She nods her head softly, closing her eyes. She was getting tired, but she couldn't fall asleep yet.

"Are you all alone?" Lucy asks. He shakes his head.

"Nah, got a group. Went out hunting to get somethin' for the next few days and the herd came through." She looks at him surprised.

"Aren't they expecting you back?" He waves his hand, dismissing the subject.

"I'm always out for a while on huntin' trips. This wouldn't mean nothin'. If I was gone for a week, then they would send out people." She nods.

"How long you been with them?"

"The beginning." She smiles.

"At least you can keep a group," she chuckles. She looks up at the windows and sighs. There was noway he was heading back tonight. "Well, the herd's still outside, and it's dark, so I don't think you can head back. If you want you can take the couch in here for the night. Once the sun comes you can go back to your group."

"Ya sure I aint gonna try anything?" he teases. She raises an eyebrow at him.

"I'm sure. After what I saw with Sam, you couldn't hurt a fly." He snorts.

"Wanna bet?"

"No, because I'm freaking tired." She hears Sam yawn. "And so is she." Lucy gets up from her spot and takes Sam up into her arms, who's eyes were slowly closing. Lucy offers a smile at him. "Like I said, the couch. But be warned, I sleep with a knife." He raises his hands up in defense.

"I aint gonna try nothin'," he replies. She nods.

"Sleep. And if I don't see you, good luck with the meat and getting back to your group." He nods at this, a sign of thanks for him. She turns around and starts to head down the hall, but Sam props up her head on Lucy's shoulder and waves her small little hand at him.

"Goodnight, Mr. Daryl," she says tiredly. Daryl smiles small at the little girl. As mush as he's been through, the little girl was still something else.

"Goodnight, Sam," he states back. She places her head back down and closes her eyes. Lucy smiles. Maybe not everyone was terrible in this world. He'd be gone by morning, anyhow, though. At least she knew that her and Sam weren't the only people left.

She yawns. She needed sleep.

~%~

**Review please? :)**

**Thanks to the followers and the review I got. I was very happy. :) **


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for the new reviews on the last chapter and the new followers and favorites! Amazing!**

* * *

The wood had long fallen off the windows, so the bright light from the new morning aglow had streamed its way into the dirty and small living room of the busted down cabin. There didn't seem to be a cloud in the sky, not one in sight, but that didn't really suit the hunter that was trying to block out the impossibly glimmering sunshine that was descending down onto the couch.**  
**

Daryl's eyes open slightly, the light already blinding him from outside. He places his arm over his eyes to block out the light and groans. At least in the prison they didn't get this much light. It felt like he was flying into the sun right now.

He leans up in the couch and glances around the room. No one was awake accept him. Since the sun seemed to focused into room, he guessed it was maybe around seven or eight am. Maybe there was a clock somewhere in the small, rundown shack. To be honest, the small place reminded him of before the world went to shit. He wondered how long the girls were staying in this place. It didn't look secure that well.

The moans and groans had stopped by now, and Daryl saw that the herd had passed completely through. Looking outside, he should be able to get back to the prison sooner rather then later. Maybe just something to eat first. There had to be something in this place.

He looks around the place and sees the small kitchen where Lucy had been in the day before, cooking away at apparently the rabbit she had caught. Daryl snorts at the girl he had come across the other day. From the moment she had opened that door, that stupid knife held in her hand, he knew she wasn't a threat at all. When he had heard voices come form the living room, he actually thought he was screwed for a second.

And damn was he wrong.

In fact, it was almost comical, especially when that little girl came in. Samantha, that was her name. To be honest, she was pretty damn adorable, even if he felt like a priss saying it. Most little girls were scared of people who looked like him unless the man showed that he wasn't bad. He fucking had his crossbow up, ready to shoot at the girls mom, but she had a bright smile on her face, reaching out her hand to meet him.

Lucy, on the other hand, she was less then likely to smile and say hi, which was a good trait to have during this shit. Don't trust anyone. But to be true, the girl screamed young. She was twenty two, for God's sake, and had a child. She seemed to know her shit, but she was by herself with a small girl during all of this, and that seemed impossible to do. But there was something about Lucy that Daryl actually admired.

He didn't know what, but there was something in that young woman. Lucy seemed to know how to survive. She had that fierce look in her dark blue eyes that was hard to find in girls her age, a look saying 'fuck with me and I will cut you.' She definitely sounded like she was from New York. Very much from New York. She almost had that Brooklyn accent that everyone on earth has probably tried to portray, but it wasn't as strong as some of the shit he's heard.

He could also tell that before this, she was probably something super athletic. Her legs were absolutely muscled to the max. Not disgustingly muscled like those stupid body builders, but enough that she could probably climb a tree easier then he could, and very quicker. Maybe a runner, or a gymnast. Something like that. She was quick. That was probably the reason her and Sam were ever alive this long.

Walking over to the cabinet, he opens the door, its hinges squeaking loudly. This place was so damn old. But when he found the small can of peaches, he didn't care if the place was practically falling off it's hinges. He hadn't seen shit like that since the beginning of the turn.

Taking the can into his hands, he easily pops it open and eats the peaches as slow as he could, trying to conserve at least a few to eat later on. There was another window in the kitchen, and he glances outside at the scenery. Yeah, still no clouds at fucking all. He could easily get back.

"Mr. Daryl?"

The can goes spiraling out of his hands as the small voice surprises the shit out of him. Thankfully, he catches the can before it could go off tumbling to the ground to spill the rest of it's contents. He places the can down on the counter and glares at the new guest, but lets his gaze soften when he sees the small Samantha, her blanket in her hand, clutching it to her chest. Her eyes were wide.

"Kid, ya can't do that," he says sternly. "If I had my weapon I might've shot ya."

"I'm sorry," she says quietly, staring down at the ground in shame. "I heard a noise and it scared me. Momma says to always check." He sees she was really torn up about it. She obviously didn't get in trouble often. He sighs. No matter how much of a dick he could be, he still didn't like to see a kid sad.

"Look," he starts, kneeling down to her small height. She looks up when she sees his body appear in front of her. "Ya gotta be more careful in this world, ok? Sorry I snapped, but don't surprise people. It could end very badly. Don't need a girl like yerself getting shot. Yer four, right?"

She smiles, nodding her head. "I'm gonna be five soon," she says happily. A small half smile appears on his face.

"That's good, but ya won't be turning that age anytime soon if ya keep doing that, ya hear?" She nods.

"I won't," she promises. "I'm sorry," she repeats. He stands up from his spot, adjusting himself. He nods at the little girl.

"It's fine, Sam," he states. "But, uh, what are ya doing up this early?" She cocks her head.

"How do you know it's early?" she asks. He looks outside the window and points towards the east. Sam follows his arm and looks outside.

"See the sun? Through those trees?" She nods, walking closer to the window. Her blanket was still clutched in her hands. "The sun rises from east to west every day, travels in a path. When the suns right in the middle of the sky, that's when ya know it's twelve...noon," he says, trying to use words a four year old would understand. She nods again, listening to what he was saying.

"When the suns in the east, that means it's mornin'. When it's in the west, that's when it's the afternoon, or evening. Right now, the suns in the east. The suns closer to the ground, and when it's closer to the ground that means it's either earlier in the day, or late at night. So, since it's in the east, and it's closer to the ground, it's early in the morning."

Samantha looks up at him with a smile. "That's so cool. Confusing, but cool." He snorts, heading off into the kitchen.

"Well, I aint no teacher, kid." She runs up to one of the stools and climbs to the top, laying her hands on the island in the middle of the kitchen, intertwining her fingers.

"I think you are," she replies. "I like nature, but sometimes it's too hot." He chuckles a bit.

"Yeah, Georgia weather can do that to ya."

"You don't look hot at all. Did you live here before the monsters started to come?" He raises an eyebrow at the term 'monsters,' but continues on anyway.

"All my life," he replies.

"I lived in New York," she states. He nods, taking another peach into his mouth. Realizing the kid just woke up, he offers her one from the can and she takes it gratefully, chewing it up. "These are really good. What are they?"

"Peaches," he mumbles, staring at the can. "And I know ya lived in New York. Yer momma told me." She smiles, nodding. She looks at the can of peaches hungrily, and gives her the can. "Have the rest," he states. She takes the can into her own hands, it's size much to big for her, and starts to down the peaches one by one. "Slow down, kid. Eat too fast and ya might get the hiccups."

She nods, swallowing what was in her mouth. "Mommy tells me the same thing. I always forget." She places the can down and lets out a little burp, her hand going to her mouth right after. Daryl smirks down at the kid.

"Nice one," he comments softly. She smiles. "Speaking of yer mama, why isn't she up?" Sam shrugs her shoulders.

"Mommy doesn't like to be woken up. She's scary when she's woken up." Daryl snickers at this. He couldn't picture Lucy as anything scary.

"Really?" he asks, glancing out the window to see if he could notice and new walkers around. He needed to get going soon, and this kid was stopping him. She nods, her eyes wide.

"She sleeps lightly. Mommy said she always used to stay up to help her mommy when her daddy would hurt her mommy." That got his attention. He snaps his head back to the young girl, his brow furrowed, but his surprised expression didn't seem to faze her. She continued to talk. "Her daddy would yell at her momma and hurt her when he drank bad stuff. Then he would leave and slam the door, and mommy would wake up and go downstairs to help her mama. She was always there for her, just like she's always there for me."

Daryl was still slightly in shock. One in part to the fact that this four year old knew this. She must have snuck it out of her mother somehow. Two was that this mommy was Lucy, not some other person. The girl, who barely looked like a threat at all, who could barely skin a rabbit, was part of a life that was similar to his. Girl with dark blue eyes and curly brown hair, who looked like she couldn't harm a fly, had an abusive father.

Talk about getting to know someone.

"Mr. Daryl?" Sam's voice interrupts. He turns back to her and she points down at his hand. "What's wrong?" He looks down at his hand and sees that it was clenched into a tight fist, ready to punch the shit out of something. He unclenches it and looks down at the table.

"Nothing, kid," he mumbles. He didn't even know what came over him. "I, uh-nothing, Sam. Don't worry about it." She tilts her head for a second but shrugs her shoulders, taking another peach out of the can, throwing it into her mouth.

"But mommy can be really scary when she's tired. Sometimes, she's super mad and cranky, and sometimes she stumbles around like one of this monsters outside. But she won't bite me, she actually looks really funny. Don't tell her I said it's funny." He smirks slightly at the plead.

"I won't," he replies. But she furthers the issue by sticking out her small pinkie. He raises an eyebrow.

"Pinky promise?" she asks. He smiles at the small gesture, and decides to humor her a bit by sticking out his much larger finger to connect with her small one.

"Pinky promise," he repeats. Samantha smiles and disconnects hers.

"A promise is a promise. You can't break it!"

"I won't," he repeats-well, more like chuckles. He had to admit, Sam was naive, but it wasn't annoying like most other people. It was actually really nice to see a kid acting like that.

A door closed far off the hallway and a sleepy Lucy emerged from the narrow passage. Her hair was done up in a high, messy ponytail, some strands hanging in front of her face. A t-shirt much too big for her with the batman symbol hung loosely on her shoulders, covering the shorts she wore to bed. The first thing she sees is Sammy on a stool. She yawns, covering her mouth.

"Good-" She stops mid sentence when she sees Daryl sitting across from her on another stool. Her brow furrows in confusion. "Morning," she ends softly, letting her arms fall to her side. "You're still here," she states. "Wasn't expecting that." He shrugs his shoulders a bit, sort of embarrassed he was still here, but after hearing what Sammy told him, he felt like he couldn't leave, at least not yet.

"Was gonna but this girl surprised the hell out of me. Kept me here, told me some funny stories." Sammy snaps her head to him, testing to see if he would keep his promise. Lucy raises an eyebrow, crossing her arms.

"Oh yeah? What'd she say?"

"That yer real scary when you're tired." Lucy looks at Sammy.

"I am?" she chuckles. Sam nods, happy Daryl didn't say she thought it was funny.

"You're always cranky," she giggles. Lucy rolls her eyes, walking over to the counter to grab a can from the cabinet.

"Sure I am. That's because someone is always making noise," she says back to Sammy.

"You're a light sleeper! You here everything!" Sam laughs. Lucy smiles at her.

"Still counts though." She reaches into the cabinet to fetch the can but only feels air. Her brow furrows. "I could have sworn there was a can of peaches in here," she mumbles. Daryl and Sam secretly share a look, and in one swift movement he takes the can and places it under the island counter in one of the compartments quietly. He places a finger to his lips, telling her to keep quiet, and Sammy nods, a small smile on her face.

"What're ya lookin' for?" Daryl asks, glancing down at the table. Lucy looks deeper into the cabinet, but all she sees is air and dusty, old cobwebs. She backs up a bit and closes the cabinet door.

"I...uh, have either of you seen a ca-" She looks back to the island but stops when she sees Sam looking at her with a smile, and Daryl looking away. Her eyes narrow, but she had a smile grace her lips. She shakes her head and looks down at the ground. "Ok, since I know my daughter is too short to get to the cabinet, that leaves one choice. Daryl, give it."

"What? I don't have crap," he states. If she was a fool, she would have fallen for that act easily. But she was from New York, and she could see a lie from behind anyones eyes. She smirks.

"Yeah?" she starts, walking over to him. She stops when she was right in front. The stool he sat in was tall, so where she stood her face met his. She smirks at him. "You don't have crap?" she mimics. He shrugs his shoulders, but even she could see the small smirk forming at the ends of his mouth. She rolls her eyes. "Yeah, BS," she mumbles. She reaches into the compartment underneath and feels around, and then finally feels the can. She pulls it out and waves it in front of him. "Yeah, you don't got crap."

She sees Sam giggle and Lucy looks over, a small grin on her face. "You were in on it too!" she accuses.

"Don't blame the kid," Daryl chuckles. "It was all me." She looks over and locks eyes with him, and she noticed how blue his eyes really were. They weren't as dark as hers, but more of a light blue, like the sky outside. She smiles a bit, but decides to brake the trance.

"I knew that from the moment I laid eyes on you," she chuckles. She turns back to the can and sees there were about maybe five peach slices left. She sighs. "And you ate most of them. Did Sam at least get some as well?"

"I wouldn't let the kid go hungry," he mumbles. She smiles and looks outside. There were no monsters or biters anywhere. He could have easily ignored Sam's pestering and gone off. She looks down at the ground and then at Sam with the best smile she could muster.

"Sammy, you know we're not staying here for long. Go and pack up your stuff in your room. I need to talk to Daryl." Sammy nods and jumps off the seat, taking off to the entrance, but then she turns around and smiles at Lucy.

"Mommy, Mr. Daryl taught me about the sun!" Lucy's brow furrows again.

"He..did what?" she asks, confused, looking back at him. He was looking down at the table. Sam nods.

"Yeah! About how when it's in the middle-" Lucy gently pushes her out and places a hand on her shoulder.

"Tell me everything later, ok sweetie? I need to talk alone." Sam sighs but nods, and takes off down the hallway. Lucy turns back around and walks over to the island, laying her hands down and leaning against it. She takes a seat across from him. "What on earth did you teach her about the sun?"

"She asked how I could tell how early it was by lookin' at the sky, so I taught 'er how," he mumbles. She tilts her head.

"Why?" she simply asked. He looks up with a confused look at this.

"I jus' explained-" She shakes her head.

"Not that. Why are you still here?" she asks. He snorts, leaning back in his seat.

"Want me out that bad, huh?" he says defensively. She rolls her eyes.

"I didn't say that," she chuckles. "You were so persistent on leaving yesterday. I'm pretty sure you were just waiting for the herd to pass, just like us. I know you woke up before Sam, so you could have left easily. You could have taken my food and left us with nothing. But you didn't. You're still here...with my daughter, teaching her about the sun, talking to her, playing games-"

"So?" he asks rather impatiently. "Look, I was lookin' for somethin' to eat and the girl woke up and stalled me. I was gonna leave but I decided to stay for a few. I'm not a person to take other people's food like tha' unless they're assholes. Ya don't seem like that, but right now I'm startin' to see it show. I'll le-" She stops him when he begins to get up, placing her hand on his arm. He tenses up as soon as she does and he pulls away.

"I didn't say that," she repeats quietly. "It's only been me and her for the past two years." He sits back down in the chair, but she could see that he was slightly reluctant to do so. "I had someone to help me before all this. Her name was Quinn. Pretty blonde hair, green eyes. She was the only person other then me that could make that girl smile. She was my best friend. I was with her in a group, and then we got separated. Since then, anytime we came in contact with other people, she never smiled, never laughed, never giggled, she wasn't acting like how a four year old should be. Only around me was she herself."

She looks down at the table and chuckles a bit.

"But for some strange, unknown reason, she ran up to you like you were fucking Santa." He snorts at this but stays quiet. "She doesn't do that to just anyone. She saw something. I don't know what, but she did. And this morning she was smiling and laughing. She was happy. You made her happy," she smiles. "Everybody seems like such a dick today but you...I'm sorry for being sort of a bitch. I'm just...really protective of her. I always have been, from the moment she was born."

"Yet yer all alone in this fucked up world with no one around ya." She shrugs sadly.

"No one's lasted long. But we're doing fine right now. Even so, I'm still happy she's happy. You can take whatever you want from the cabinets. I can find food and anything else. Just don't take everything. We still need to head out there today. This cabin aint gonna hold for long. I'm sure your group is waiting. So...thanks, Daryl," she ends, standing up from her chair.

She walks over to the archway to go and get Sammy, but his voice stops her.

"Wait."

She turns around and faces him, a raised eyebrow.

"What?" she chuckles. "I already told you-"

"How many walkers have ya killed?" She tilts her head at this, her brow now furrowed again.

"Excuse me?"

"Ya heard," he says. She crosses her arms and shrugs.

"Too many to count," she replies. He finally looks up at her.

"How many people have ya killed?" She bites her lip.

"Three."

"Why?" She looks down at the ground, painful memories coming back, but she looks up and continues for whatever reason.

"Two of them tried to touch my daughter and I. One...asked me too. She was bitten and I shot her. That's...that's it." He nods, standing up from the seat and leaning his body against the island, looking at her.

"Sam and ya, ya need a solid place. That little girl, she needs somewhere to calm down and get away from all this, even if it might seem crazy to think tha'. My group, we live in a prison, some miles away, but it's secure. As long as ya pull yer weight ya and Sam can stay." Lucy swallows, shaking her head.

"Daryl, we don't do well with-"

"Sam told me about yer parents." She stops talking and snaps her head up to look at him. Her eyes were wide.

"What the fuck did she tell you?" she whispers fearfully. "What the hell did she tell you?"

"Look, these people, they're not like them. They're good people. They won't hurt ya or Sam. This place is good. Ya don't need to worry about keepin' her safe." She looks down at the ground. Did she really want to do this? She looks back up and tries to see if he was telling the truth, and she couldn't see any trace of a lie. Maybe this would be nice.

"I...I guess," she mumbles. "But if I see any-" He rolls his eyes.

"Source of lying you'll string ma dick up on a tree, I know. But that aint gonna happen." He sort of looks around awkwardly before getting up and walking past Lucy to get to the living room where his crossbow was. "But just because I offered doesn't mean we're waitin' around for yer ass. Hurry Sam up and let's get going!" he exclaims.

Lucy glances down at the floor and smiles. Finally. Shelter.

~%~

**Review? :) Luv ya!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks for the new reviews and followers I got on the last chapter! Love ya! Awesome!**

* * *

"How far away is the prison? Is it really tall?" Lucy snickered lowly again for probably the thirteenth time in a row as Daryl closed his eyes in frustration. This was maybe the twentieth question that Sam had asked in the past fifteen minutes. Twenty first question if you count the second. But Lucy counted as she talked and didn't. It looked like the only time Sam opened her mouth in the trek they had been enduring was to ask stuff.

"Aint that far now since we've been walkin' for miles. And I guess," he answers stubbornly. Lucy makes sure to hide her smile at the small questions, but nearly burst out laughing when Sam asked another one.

"Are there any monsters anywhere? Do you stab them?" Lucy covers her mouth to stop herself from laughing again as Daryl looked down at the ground with secluded anger. He looks at Lucy and sees she was trying not to laugh at the antics of the little girl. She removes her hand and smiles at him sheepishly. He narrows his eyes at her.

"She always askin' this much shit?" he mumbles lowly so the kid wouldn't hear. Lucy shrugs her shoulders in retaliation, her smile still in place.

"What can I say? She's an informative little girl. Wants to know everything." His brow furrows at this explanation.

"She's fucking four." She looks at him with the best smirk she could muster up on her face.

"It's part your fault because you taught her about the sun, and as soon as one of her questions is answered, she thinks 'I can ask more because he answered one!'" He begins to say something but is interrupted by the little girls voice again.

"Mr. Daryl?" she asks, turning around to look at him. He turns his head back to the girl and sees the questioning look on her face, and realizes that he didn't answer the question she asks. He clears his throat and nods.

"Uh, yeah there are some monsters around there, but we keep 'em away from the prison." She nods and turns back around. Daryl looks back at Lucy. "She's only four. How is she able ta talk so easily?" Lucy smiles.

"I don't really know. Even when she was two she could speak more English then most other two year olds. When this shit storm started, she was around people talking, and then just around me, so I guessed she picked up on words quicker then most. But whatever the reason she still talks. She talks and talks and talks and talks," she chuckles. "She never stops talking unless she's tired."

"Sounds like a pain," he mumbles. She shakes her head.

"It's no pain. She's my daughter. I gotta live with it. She just likes to talk, what can I say?" He snorts.

"Yeah, well make sure she stays quiet when we actually get to the place." Lucy nods but looks over at him with a questioning look.

"I thought you said they were good people?" she mumbles. He sighs for a second, staring at the ground, before looking back up.

"They are," he persists. "We've just...been through a lot in the past couple of years. A lot of bad shit's happened, and they're all sensitive to new people. When we get there, just keep that pretty little mouth shut and let me talk." She smirks at him.

"You think my mouths pretty?" she chuckles. He furrows his brow at the reply, but his cheeks soon turn red when he realizes what it sounded like. She smiles while he looks away embarrassingly.

"It's an expression," he growls. She smiles even wider.

"Whatever," she replies. He looks over at her with a persistent expression.

"It is," he irks on. She rolls her eyes.

"If it really is you wouldn't be perusing the matter. I'm just shitting with you, so drop it." He begins to respond but finally decides to turn back to the front and focus on where they were going. He had already embarrassed himself enough. Why the hell did he say that in the first place? He should have just said stay quiet. He spares a glance at her from the side and sees she was staring at Sam.

"What the hell are ya doin'?" he asks.

"Making sure she doesn't touch any of the fungus we're pass-Samantha!" she exclaims. Sam looks over from the colorful stuff that was hanging off the bed of the tree. Lucy shakes her head. "Don't touch that, sweetie. It's not safe." Sam nods and keeps walking ahead of her. Lucy looks back at Daryl. "See?"

"Haven't ya run into stuff like that before?" he asks. She nods her head but chuckles at the same time.

"We have but she's just so interested in nature it kills me! She wants to touch literally everything, learn about everything...she barely knows how to read but whenever we cross a bookstore she wants to go in to learn about bugs or flowers. That's probably why she asked you about the sun. Don't be surprised if she ever asks you to go out to the forest one day. Just say no," she chuckles. "It will only end badly."

"She really touch everything?" he asks amused. She laughs.

"Yup," she snickers. "Fucking everything. She's like a mini me," she mumbles under her breath so Sam would not hear. She hears Daryl chuckle and she looks over, her eyebrows raised. "Oh shut up. It's not like you have a kid to deal with...unless you do and I should not have said that-"

"I don't," he interrupts. She looks over at him, her cheeks red from saying such a stupid statement. "There's no one like that there. Just think it's funny that yer daughter likes the outside so much when her own mom don't." She scoffs, easing the embarrassment she felt.

"I like the outside, mind you. I lived in New York for God's sake. Walking outside was my main source of transportation when I wasn't taking the subway. I just don't want my daughter getting killed by nature." He rolls his eyes.

"She's not gonna get killed if she touches a bit of fungus."

"If you've forgotten Daryl, she's four! She'll die because she eats it!"

"Not all four year olds eat everythin' in sight," he replies. She crosses her arms.

"I'd rather not take the risk," she quietly says. "She may be smart but she's not that smart."

"Thought ya said she likes to read?" She places her hands on her hips and stops walking, facing him with the most annoyed expression on her face.

"Just because you like to read doesn't mean-"

"Are we here?" a little voice asks. Daryl and Lucy snap their heads to where Sam was pointing, and both are surprised to see the prison in broad daylight, the gates closed, a few walkers shifting around here and there. They had been so caught up in talking that they didn't even know they got there.

"Uh, yeah," Daryl states. He was still surprised he didn't see the prison coming. "Yeah, it is," he says, a bit more confidently. "Come on."

He walks through the bushes that led out into the giant field before the prison. Almost immediately, he's met by a walker, wanting to sink its teeth into his delicious flesh. Samantha clings onto her mothers leg from below. Daryl quickly shoots the asshole in the head, sending an arrow clean through the creatures eye.

"Nice shot," Lucy comments softly as she watches the biter tumble straight to the ground. Daryl does nothing but nod and continue onto the gates. Lucy glances around the area and her eyes finally land on a person looking at them. Two people specifically.

One was a young boy, maybe around the age of thirteen, or fourteen. He had shaggy brown hair that reached the middle of his neck, and he was staring at Lucy with an aggravated expression. Something told her that kid wasn't the most welcoming in the world. So she decided to avert her eyes to the other person there, who seemed to be maybe a little bit older then her, around twenty four or twenty five. He was Asian, with messy black but short hair.

"Daryl?" he says from behind the gates.

"Yup," he yells back. A second later the gates open and the three rush inside, while some of the walkers travel to the opened barriers to get inside. As soon as Lucy steps in, the doors close. She steps up and makes sure that Lucy was behind her. She sees the two people stumble up to them, and like Daryl said, she keeps her mouth zipped up, the key throw away.

"Who's this?" the Asian man asks. "Are they alone?" Daryl nods.

"Been like that for a while," he replies.

"What're their names?" he asks. Daryl points to each of them individually.

"Lucy, and the little one's Samantha." Even through her shyness Samantha still waved at the two new strangers. "Need a place to stay."

"Did you ask them the questions?" the boy asks.

"Why wouldn't I?" Daryl huffs. "They're fine. Just want to know where Rick is so I can clear it with him." Carl crosses his arms and glares at Daryl.

"It's just another mouth to feed," the boy states. Even if the statement annoyed the shit out of Lucy, she still kept her mouth shut. She didn't want to get into people she didn't even know.

"Even if it is kid, it aint your decision to make. Where's Rick?"

~%~

Sooner or later, Lucy found herself waiting outside some office, waiting on a verdict from this supposed leader. They had let her in eventually, that stupid boy getting to her. She couldn't believe the nerve of that kid. Apparently, the kid was Ricks son, but she didn't know that fourteen year olds were that much of assholes to strangers.

Sam was right in front of her, looking outside one of the prisons windows and starting at the little kids playing in the courtyard, yards away from her. "Mommy, look at all the little kids! They're all playing ball!" Lucy smiles up at her from the seat she sat in.

"If everything goes over well you'll be out there soon," she chuckles. Samantha looks over with a smile.

"Do you think there are bugs out there?" Lucy groans and places her head in her hands. Oh, if the world wasn't shit her little girl would be the biggest scientist ever.

"Sammy, we already went over this. No bug touching." Sammy pouts.

"But there's so many! Like beetles and ants and spiders-"

"You know what?" Lucy states. "You can touch whatever bug you want." Sammy smiles. "But here are the rules." And the pout comes back. "You can not bring spiders in here. There are already so many, and I know I have to deal with them, but if you bring in one spider purposely, I will lock you away. Second, if you get but by any bugs, you go straight to whoever is the vet here or to me, got it?" Sammy nods. "Then when we get clearance, grab away."

"YES!" she cheers. Lucy rolls her eyes and pinches the bridge of her nose.

"Oh, my little tomboy," she mumbles.

The door opens next to her and she looks up to see Rick step out. He looks down at Lucy and gestures her to come in. She gets up from her seat and points over to Sam, but he stops her with "She'll be fine, this area's cleared."

She takes that as an answer and steps inside the office, closing the door behind her. She glances around the room and takes a seat in a chair sat across from a desk. She sees Daryl leaning on one of the bookshelf's, his crossbow now resting on his back. His arms were crossed across his chest, but even if he was trying to act it, he wasn't the least bit intimidating to her.

Rick sits on the edge of the desk and faces her. Her hands sat in her lap as she tried to look as cool and collected as she could. She didn't know why she felt so worried though. The man had a gentle smile on his face, like he wouldn't try anything that she wouldn't be uncomfortable with. Wait a minute.

Did Daryl tell him what happened to her?

Oh she was gonna fucking kill him if he did.

"Lucy, right?" Rick starts. Lucy smiles, nodding her head.

"Yeah, and my daughters Sam," she continues. He nods.

"You two have been alone for a while now, huh?" he asks. She nods sadly.

"Yeah," she sighs. "I mean...I had a group in the beginning...one of the people in it was my best friend, but one day a herd came and we all got separated. That was only two months into this whole thing started. So since then it's only been Sam and I."

"She's four and she's only been with you? What about the father?" If she was asked that question one more time she was going to shoot someone. Taking an internal deep breath, she replies with as much calm as she could muster.

"He hasn't been around since the day she was born, but I've been taking care of her just fine." Rick nods, knowing that conversation was over.

"Daryl told me ya came down from New York. That's a long way from home." She shrugs.

"Honestly, we still thought we were in New York, or at least somewhere up the country. We had no clue we were in Georgia until he came along. No maps to look at anymore, so I guess we just kept running where the biters weren't. Really all we tried to do was thrive and stay alive, and we have been."

"Those two men you killed a while ago. Did they really try to touch you?" Lucy raises an eyebrow. Wow, this guy was very untrustful.

"Yeah, they did. First things first, if I am allowed to stay, I wanna get one thing straight. I don't lie. I never have, and never will. So anything I tell you, it's completely and utterly the truth. Nothing more, nothing less. I know you people have probably been together for a very long time, and that you're all family, but I don't want to hurt anyone. I'm just putting that out there."

"That's not what I'm pulling you in here for," Rick states amusedly. "Daryl already told me you're fine, and so is that daughter of yours. All I really wanna know is if you're going to help us around her. If you can pull your weight, you'll be fine to stay here." Lucy snorts.

"Course I can do that. Pulling my weight around places has been my life. You have no worry about that." Rick nods.

"Then welcome to the prison," he smiles. Lucy nods, standing up from her seat.

"Thank you," she replies.

"It's nothing I wouldn't want done for me and my family." He heads over to the door to leave, but turns to Daryl at the last minute. "Daryl, you show her to where she and Sam's going, okay?" Daryl nods, although Lucy could see it was slightly reluctant. Rick leaves but allows the door to lay astray, and Sam comes flapping into the room, her hands clasped around something.

"Mommy! Mr. Daryl! Look what I caught!" Her hands open up and Lucy covers her face with her hands again. In her little tiny delicate hands was a giant beetle, crawling around to somehow find a place to escape. Daryl actually snickers at this. Seems this girl was a lot more into the outside than her mother was.

"That's cool, Sammy, but I think ya should let the bug outside before yer mama goes crazy." Sammy looks up surprised at the word crazy and runs outside to the hall to let it go. He turns around to face her. "Gonna guess she likes a lot of bugs, huh?" She nods clumsily.

"Yup."

~%~

Lucy soon found herself near the end of a cellblock, Sammy a few paces behind her, looking around the place with interest. Probably looking for more stuff to capture. Daryl stopped at a cell right at the very end, a sheet tied up to act as a source of privacy. That must be annoying for couples. Lucy smiles.

"Is this where you're putting me, prisoner officer?" Daryl snorts.

"Home sweet home," he mumbles. She steps inside and places her bag down on the bottom bunk. Sam could sleep up on the top. It'd be safer. She turns around and crosses her arms.

"Did you tell Rick about my mom and dad?" His brow furrows.

"Why the hell would ya think I did?"

"The fact that he was treating me like a piece of glass. That smile? That's not used for strangers. And people only use that around me when people tell them my past. And I've always been pissed off with people who did." He narrows his eyes.

"And what would happen if I did? Maybe I needed to ta keep ya here. And look, yer here now, so I think ya should keep followin' those rules of keeping that mouth shut." She tilts her head.

"It's not pretty anymore?" she pouts mockingly. He shakes his head at this, and she could see she hit something. She places her hands up in defense. "Ok, I'm sorry. I'm not used to people knowing my past, but with a four year old knowing it it's inevitable that it'll spread." She faces him fully, her smile back on her face. "I'm really thankful I'm here, just not used to being around people."

"Daryl?" a voice says from the hallway. Daryl looks outside and Lucy spares a peek, and sees Rick was back inside. "We got a bit of a problem in the back." Daryl nods.

"In a minute," he replies. Rick nods and leaves the cell block, heading back outside. He turns back to Lucy, one foot out the passageway. Lucy had tuned back to the bed, unloading her backpack. "By the way," he starts. Lucy turns her head to look at him. "I don't go blabbing about people's lives behind their backs. I aint that much of a dick, so don't go blaming shit on people ya don't know is true."

She looks down at the bed in embarrassment for a second before looking back up and nodding. "Like I said, I'm sorry. No need to go on about it." She nods towards the door. "Now get out there and kill some walkers." She looks back down, but nearly misses the smirk that crosses his face. Maybe this place wouldn't be so bad.

~%~

**Review? :) Luv ya!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I would like to thank the following people who reviewed the last chapter!**

Dragon

hippielicious

Jules

**As well as the new followers and favorites. Thanks for that commentary on how I'm doing well on this story. It inspires me to keep going. They always make my day! Now, on with the story.**

* * *

The sound of pots and pans was the one thing that woke up Lucy the new morning. Her eyes slowly opened and for a second she wondered where the fuck she was, and why she was actually sleeping on a bed, and where the hell Sammy was, but the days previous events came flowing back to her like lava from a volcano that just erupted. She glances around the cell and nearly hit her head on the top bunk above, ducking under just in time.

She could tell Samantha was still sound asleep from the sound of the bed creaking, but Lucy actually didn't care for once. Samantha was always waking up early because she could never sleep. That was probably why she had woken up early the day before. Lucy, on the other hand, was always up early, ever since she was younger. When the sky was awake, she was awake.

Lucy falls back onto the bed and sighs. This actually wasn't that bad. She preferred sitting in a cell then running from the multitude of creatures outside. She looks over to the right and shimmies the blanket off her body, but when she sees a piece of paper on the chair that was next to the small, and she meant very small, desk in cell, she almost spontaneously jumped up from her bunk and went over to it.

And then she bumped her head.

"Son of a bitch," she hisses painfully. Her hands go to her head as she cradles it, trying to rub away the pain. "Can we not be a klutz for one day? Please?" she mumbles to her brain. She slowly stands up from the bunk and walks over to the chair. One of her hands leaves her head and picks up the note into her hands. Glancing at it through blurry vision, as her head was still trying to stop ringing from the giant crash, she read the steady but sloppily handwriting.

_Lucy,_

_Before ya go lookin' for me, went out on a run._

_Sam might like being outside today. Pretty humid so there'll be plenty a bugs. _

Lucy rolls her eyes. She barely knew the guy and already he was making fun. She continues on.

_People gonna be wantin' to meet ya today. Was gonna wake ya up but saw how ya and Sam were sleepin'. Looks like ya needed it._

_Daryl_

_P.S. Watch yer head. Those bunks are low. _

She snorts at the last part. "Coulda told me that yesterday, asshole," she mumbles, placing the note in the pocket of her shorts. Well, it was sweet of him not to wake them up, but he could have. This was the rare occasion Lucy slept late. Then again, she had been sleeping in trees for quite some time, so sleeping in a bed must have done it's toll on her.

Walking over to her bag, she quickly places on her pair of shorts and a t-shirt over her bra and boy shorts. Looking over at Sam, she walks over and gently begins to wake her up. The little girl whines in protest. Lucy smiles.

"Come on, sweetie, you gotta get up," she murmurs sweetly. Sammy turns her back so that she was facing Lucy. She had a sleepy smile on her face. Her hand moves out from under her covers and bops her mother on the nose. Lucy does a double take for a second, before raising an eyebrow. "What was that?" she chuckles.

"You always used to do it to me. I wanted to do it to you." Lucy rolls her eyes while Sammy giggles at her mothers reaction.

"Ok, prankster. Let's get you all ready to go."

"Do I get to touch the bugs today?!" she asks excitedly. Lucy sighs.

"Yes, you can touch the bugs." And another cheer was heard.

~%~

Later when they had gotten dressed, Lucy found herself and Sammy walking into a main room of some sorts. There was a door to the right that led out into some sort of courtyard, and through the cracks she could see that there were tables set up, and a few people sat at each. Some people were inside, but oat were enjoying the nice day.

"It looks so pretty," Sam mumbles, staring over at the door. Lucy smiles a bit.

"Well, if you want we can head out there. But we need to find something to eat first, ok?" Sammy nods and reaches up, grabbing Lucy's hand tenderly.

"There are so many new people," she whispers, and Lucy could sense the fear in her voice. "Where's Mr. Daryl?" she mumbles. "Is he gone?"

"Only for a little while, sweetie. He'll be back." She couldn't figure out for the life of her why Sammy liked Daryl so much compared to other people they had come across. Lucy had met nice people, other then the assholes who tried to kill her, but Sammy had always been super shy around them then, and she seemed to be super shy around the people here. Except for Daryl.

"I'm hungry," she mumbles, looking away from the door. Without another word, Lucy takes her over to where all the food was being served. Looking around, she saw that there was all sorts of stuff on the table arranging from healthy vegetables to meat. She could only guess that was Daryl's kill lying on the table. "Is that a bunny?" Sammy says sadly.

"No, I don't think that it, but it sure looks like it," Lucy replies steadily. She takes a plate and fills one up for Sammy, and at that moment, she's finally greeted by a voice for the first time that day.

"You're the new girl."

Lucy looks up and sees two women emerge from a cell that had been behind the table. She took the opportunity to take them in, trying to remember what they looked like. It looked like almost everyone here was older then her. The first one her eyes traveled to was maybe slightly older then her, possibly a year older then Quinn. She had short brown hair, but green eyes, which furthered reminded her of Quinn. Though her old friend's eyes were a lighter shade. She had a kind smile, but even Lucy could see she was testing her to see if she could be trusted, just as Rick had been the day before.

The other woman Lucy didn't know how to feel, but everyone else her seemed to be stand able so she guessed she was too. Her hair was super short, which Lucy found quiet humorous. Either she was keeping track of her hair and cutting it regularly, or she was just born like that. Who the hell had that short of hair?

It was gray, and she had a condescending look in her eyes, almost the same the boy had with her the day before, but this time it gave her more nerves in her body then the other look did. Maybe it was because Daryl wasn't there, but she still felt a lot more nervous around this woman then she did the little teenager.

"Yeah, that's me, and my daughter," she says happily. Sam was clutching onto her mothers leg again, peering up at the two women with fright and interest at the same time.

"Hey, Sammy," the younger one says sweetly. Sam lets one of her hands loose and waves at the younger girl quickly before placing it right back on her mothers left leg.

"She's a little shy around new people," Lucy comments quietly. The younger one waves her hand dismissively.

"Oh, it's fine. People are usually shy around new people in this world. I wouldn't be surprised if she stayed inside the whole day." Lucy snorts.

"I doubt it! This girl? She loves messing with bugs and getting down in the dirt more than anything in the world." Both of them laugh.

"Sounds like a younger version of me," the younger one states. Lucy decides that had been enough to break the ice.

"I'm Lucy," she states, holding out her hand. The younger one returns the gesture.

"Maggie," she replies. Lucy looks over at the older woman, but decides it was better to keep her hand right next to her when it let go of Maggie's.

"Carol," the older woman says. Lucy smiles.

"If you don't mind me asking, where did they go today on the run?" Carol's brow furrows.

"How the hell did you know they went on a run? You just woke up." Maggie glares at Carol.

"Carol, there's a little girl here," she hisses. Lucy intervenes.

"It's fine. I've told Sammy multiple times not to say the word. She gets it, but uh, I know because Daryl left me a note this morning." Maggie's quirks an eyebrow, her hands on her hips.

"He left you a note?" she chuckles. Carol crosses her arms, not believing her for a second. Lucy shrugs her shoulders.

"Well, yeah. I mean, I woke up and there was a note on the chair. I have it with me," she states, moving Sammy's hand downward a bit so she could reach into her pockets. She pulls out the crumpled up note and hands it to the two women. Maggie reached out to take it, but Carol snatched it from her hands into her own, surprising Lucy. She guessed she was very interested in it.

The two woman's eyes scanned the small note, Maggie with interest and Carol with, what Lucy could place, was rage. A minute later Maggie grabs the note from Carol and hands it back to Lucy, a smirk on her face. Lucy's brow was furrowed.

"What's so funny?" she asks. Carol was staring at the floor, keeping her words to herself, so Maggie decided to explain.

"It's nothing, that's just...very un-Daryl like, I guess. We don't see him leave notes often." Lucy shrugs and places the note back in her pocket.

"Well, I don't know what's up with that, but I'd still like to know where they went."

"They went to go pick up some more medical supplies for the group. We've been running low on certain things so they went to the local hospital some miles away. See if there's anything there they could raid."

"Was it just Daryl?" she asks a bit worriedly. Maggie shakes her head.

"No, it wasn't," she chuckles. "That would be a suicide mission. He along with maybe four other people went." Lucy nods.

"Well, that's good," she says. Maggie nods.

"No need to worry. Here, I'll show you outside," she says, walking over to the door that lead outside. "Carol, are you coming?" she asks. Carol shakes her head.

"Nah, I got some stuff to do. I'll see you guys later," she mumbles, stalking off. Lucy tilts her head. What the hell was her problem? That's when it crossed her.

"Are her and Daryl, like, a thing?" Lucy mumbles to Maggie. The other survivor laughs at the statement.

"No, not at all, Jesus. I couldn't picture that in a million years. They're just really close. I don't know what's wrong with her, though. Maybe it's her time of the month or something." Lucy snorts, placing her hand over her face in embarrassment. Maggie smiles at her. "Liked that?" she chuckles.

"Yeah," she snickers. They step outside and the bright light shines down on Lucy, making the obvious highlights in her dark brown hair stand out. Maggie looks over.

"Oh, you have red highlights?" she asks. Lucy laughs.

"No, they're natural. My mother was irish but my father was puertorican."

"That's an interesting combination," she chuckles. Lucy shrugs.

"Hey, it worked in my favor, didn't it?" she laughs. Maggie nods, a smile on her face as she led the two of them over to a table in the back. Lucy still had her hands grasped on the plate, filled with food, while Sammy had considerably let her death grip loose on her mothers legs, curiously glancing around at the courtyard, looking at people's faces.

Lucy saw the table that Maggie was brining her to and saw an old man there, as well as a few others. He looks up at Maggie and smiles. His eyes then travel to the woman next to her. With that movement his eyebrow raise.

"Well, looks like the new face has finally joined us from the dead," he states jokingly. Even so, Lucy felt her cheeks light up in embarrassment.

"Sorry," she mumbles. The man waves his hand dismissively, just as Maggie had done before.

"I was joking, honey. Come on, sit on down," he states. Lucy smiles and sits across from him as Maggie takes a seat next to her, her own plate plopping down in front of her. Lucy picks Sammy up onto the wooden bench of the picnic table and places her right next to the end of the table. She still hung by her mothers side like a bee to honey.

"Lucy, this is my daddy, Hershel Greene. Daddy, this is Lucy and her daughter, Sammy." Hershel smiles at Lucy and then looks to the little girl, who was peeking her head out from under her mothers arm.

"Hey there, little girl," he says. "You like it here?" Sammy nods. "Did you and your mama get enough sleep last night? Both of you were out like a light," he chuckles. Lucy laughs.

"For a while we've been sleeping in trees so it felt nice to finally feel safe and be able to sleep in a bed." Hershel nods.

"That's always nice. Rick told me you're from New York. If you don't mind me asking, what were you doing up there?" Lucy takes a bite of her breakfast and shakes her head, saying it was fine for them to ask about her life. For the first time in forever, the people here actually didn't seem crazy.

"It's fine. I was in school with my best friend when all this went down. Her name was Quinn, and she would help me with Sammy on occasions when I was at my job or something."

"What'd ya major in?" Maggie asks.

"Went to NYU, majored in dance and musical theater."

"Musical theater?!" Lucy heard from Maggie's side. She looks over and sees a blonde take a seat next to Hershel, a baby in her hands. She looked to be younger then herself, but not by much, maybe a couple of years.

"Lucy, Beth, my sister. Beth, Lucy." Lucy smiles.

"Nice to meet you," she says happily. Beth smiles, feeding the small baby in her arms.

"You too," she replies. "But really? Musical theater? That's really impressive that you could get into that program at the college. I heard it's almost impossible unless you're really good. Not saying you aren't just...I should stop talking," she chuckles. Lucy smiles.

"No, it's fine, and trust me, It was the longest trek I've ever had to endure, especially with this little one," she says, pointing to Sam, who was now eating a piece of her meat, listing generously to the conversation. "I grew up in Harlem, and my school wasn't that great, but I knew I wanted to get into a good college. So I looked for any opportunities I could get and I filled up my resume. I also made sure I got straight A's. And even though my senior year wasn't that amazing, I still made valedictorian."

"Really?" Beth asks. Lucy nods.

"Well, the school I went to, there weren't that many people. We were a class of 200. But I ended up with a full scholarship to to NYU because I had all this shit on my resume and I aced my audition. I had just started teaching at a professional dance studio and gotten an internship at _Wicked _when everything bad happened."

"Wow, so you did a lot," Hershel comments. Lucy sighs but smiles.

"Yeah, I mean I also had this HUGE youtube channel. I had almost six million subscribers on it. I wanted to be a part of everything performing arts. So while school gave me my performing on stage, youtube gave me the opportunity to perform on the screen."

"I KNEW I recognized you from somewhere!" Beth suddenly exclaims, startling the table. Everyone looks over with a questioning expression, and she turns back to the baby, taking away the bottle. "Sorry," she says sheepishly. "But I knew I saw you online. You were 'LucyGoosey,' right?" Lucy laughs.

"Yup, that was me."

"Why on earth would that be your name?" Maggie asks, chuckling a bit. Lucy bites her lip, considering if she should tell or not.

"They used to call me that in school, so I thought why not just use the name. And it got me fans, so I was doing pretty well for a twenty year old woman. Then God decided to play games and here I am two years later."

"And this all came from a girl from Harlem," Hershel chuckles. Lucy shrugs.

"Eh, aint that bad if you know how to live there. I learned and thrived. It was just...a lot to get used to." She takes another bit, and the group figured out that she didn't want to talk about that subject anymore. Beth decided to break the silence between everyone.

"Well, that had been one of my dream schools before this happened. But daddy would never let me go because it's too far." Hershel looks at her with a disapproving look.

"We went over this plenty, Beth. I don't have a problem with you going away. I had a problem with you going to New York City," he replies. Lucy chuckles.

"New York aint half bad," she interrupts. Both look over. "As long as you have a gun at all times." Beth's eyes widen.

"See Bethy?" he says.

"Really?" Beth asks shocked. Lucy snorts.

"No," she laughs. "Just gotta know how to take the city like its yours."

~%~

Lucy was later by the gate next to Maggie and a few other people, stabbing away at the biters heads of the ones that had clamored up gates. Some of their hands clasped around the metal wire, begging for an entrance into the prison, but they all eventually ended up with a stick or a metal pipe in their heads.

Blood splattered on Lucy's face as she stabbed another on of them right near the edge of their ears but obviously it was close enough to the brain as the creature fell slack to the ground. But that just brought another stumbling figure up to the fence to want to get in. Lucy sighs angrily, attracting Maggie's attention. She looks over tiredly.

"Does the pile ever end?" she asks. Maggie laughs at the question.

"I wish," she replies. "Somedays it's better then others, but most of the time it's clogged up like this." Lucy rolls her eyes and turns back to the biter.

"Fucking great," she mumbles, stabbing it in the eye. As it falls to the ground in a mess, Lucy takes the moment to glance over at the courtyard at Sammy. The sun was going down quickly, as the shadows of the trees started to cast their long shadows over the prison, but even so the little girl was still outside with a few other little kids her age. Mostly boys. She could only guess that it would be boys.

She sees one of them hold up something in his hands, and Sammy looks at it curiously before picking it up herself with one hand. Even in the dim light, Lucy could see the thin and slippery eight legs that hung off the small creature. She shivers in the spot she stood in, turning back to the next creature who was trying to break free into the skin of Lucy.

"You know what? I love Samantha so much, but sometimes, I feel like she would be much more fitting in a boys body," she chuckles. Maggie hears this through the grunts of pushing the walkers off the fence, laughing at the irony.

"She's just into the outside. Weren't you as a kid?" Lucy snorts.

"Yeah! But not as much!" she laughs. Maggie was bound to reply when a huge grunt from down the line stopped her. Both glance down and see Carol furiously rip out a metal pipe from a walkers head, and then she sends it flying to the ground. After a minute of steady breathing, she picks it up again and begins to stab away at the next one, with even more of a rage if possible. Lucy's eyebrow furrows.

"What's her problem?" she asks. Maggie shrugs.

"Don't know. Like I said earlier, could be that time. Maybe she's just stressed." Lucy goes back to the walkers on the gate and stabs another.

"What does she have to be stressful about? Not like she has a daughter to keep safe," she chuckles. Maggie sighs.

"She did," she states softly. Lucy snaps her head to look at her, her eyes wide.

"Did she..." Maggie nods, confirming her thoughts. "Well, now I feel like a piece of shit," she mumbles. Maggie shakes her head.

"It's fine. It's been two years since then. She should have gotten over it by now at least, moved on with life. It's just hard at some points, you know?" Lucy nods, knowing all too well how that felt.

"Yeah," she sighs. She missed Quinn. A lot.

The sudden roaring of a truck woke her up from her daydreams and she looked over to the gates to find them being opened by two people. Daryl was back. Lucy turns to Maggie with a questioning look. "Didn't you say that your husband went off with them?" she asks. Maggie nods happily.

"Now lets just pray they're ok," she snickers. She steps back and sees that most of the walkers had diminished down to a few. "Ok, I think that's enough for today guys! They've gone down." Some people take off toe go and eat dinner, while others sit and stay, talking to one another. Maggie places her pipe down and walks over to the truck while Lucy follows her a few paces behind.

She sees her walk up to the Asian man from the day before as he steps out of the truck. She learned his name was Glenn. Interesting name. But who was she to judge when she had met her steady share of strange names. She had lived in New York for God's sake.

Glenn comes out and Maggie places a kiss on his lips, wrapping her arms around his neck. Lucy smiles. It felt nice to see that even in this fucked up world people could still find love, unlike her. Pft, the most love she would probably fine would be with her daughter, and that's it.

She sees two others step out that she didn't recognize. One was a woman with dreadlocks, and she wanted to step back a bit. Even from afar, the woman intimidated her more than most of the men she had come across in this world. The other was a man who seemed older, but didn't really do anything to her. He sort of just walked out and then walked back into the room. Lucy's brow furrows. Where the hell was Daryl?

She steps around the back of the truck and finally sees his back leaning into the back seat of the car, searching for something she didn't know. About to go up and talk to him, she makes a move to speak but seeing the shadow of someone approaching caused her to travel right back to the trunk to hide.

Until she heard the voice.

"Mr. Daryl!" Samantha exclaims gleefully. Lucy sighs frustrated and looks around the corner to see Sam run up to him with that creature in her hands. "Where did you go?" she asks.

"Went out to pick up a few things, but I got somthin' for ya," he states, reaching into the backseat. Lucy's brow furrows. What in heavens name could he have gotten her? Samantha grins happily, waiting to see what it was.

"What is it? What? Is it food?" Lucy had to cover her laugh for that one, while Daryl actually snickered at the comment.

"Hungry?" he asks-well, more or less states. She nods.

"A little." He comes back out of the car with a glass jar in his hands, and gives it to Samantha, who's little fingers grasp onto the delicate surface of the glass. She looks at the lid and sees that it had holes in the top, tiny ones that not even the smallest of bugs could crawl through.

"When the sun goes down, bunch a fireflies come out in the courtyard. Ya can use that and catch 'em. All of those bugs will fly around and light it up like a flashlight. Pretty cool when ya got a lot in there." Samantha smiles up at him.

"Thank you!" she says cutely, running up and hugging his legs. The small gesture surprised Daryl to say the least, but he still found the courage to place a hand on her back as an awkward way of returning it.

"No prob, kid. Now go get somethin' to eat," he says, pushing her off a bit. She smiles and nods, taking off. That's when Lucy decides to make herself known. She steps out and crosses her arms across her chest, leaning against the truck, one foot kicked up.

"Well," she states loudly. He spins around, surprised at the sudden voice. She sees his hand reach for his crossbow that laid upon his back, but once he sees it was only her, he backs off and glares at her. "You seem to be happy," she chuckles.

"Don't fucking do that, Lucy," he growls. She rolls her eyes, leaning off the car and walking over, her arms still crossed.

"Sorry," she replies, chuckling a little. "Saw what ya brought back. Bring anything back for me?" she jokes. but was surprised when he turned back to the car.

"Actually did," he mumbles. Her brow furrows as she peaks into the car, wondering what the hell he could have brought back for her. A second later, he steps out with a book in his hands and gives it to her. She takes it in her own and glance at the title. She smiles at the book, nearly crying out in joy as she read the title. It read '**The Help.' **

"How did you know I wanted this?" she says quietly. He places his hands in his pockets awkwardly, looking down at the ground.

"Ya said it while we were comin' here the other day. Said ya wanted to read the book but never had the chance. Saw it there and thought of ya so I took it." She smiles again, looking up at him, trying to be most sincere she could muster up.

"Thank you," she whispers. "Thank you so much. I can't believe I have this." He nods, and she could tell that was his way of saying you're welcome.

"How ya been holdin' up?" he asks. Lucy looks up form reading the back and over to the courtyard where Samantha was showing all the kids the jar.

"Good. Sam's been making friends all day, all into bugs like her."

"What about ya?" he asks. She shrugs.

"Well. I met a couple of people, Maggie and the Greenes, as well as little Judy. I also met Carol but I'm a little confused about her." His brow furrows.

"What's there to be confused about?" he asks. She scoffs.

"She seems to already have a grudge against me for some reason. Which brings me to another topic," she starts, placing the book underneath her arms, facing him entirely now. "Why are you being so nice to me?" His face sort of screws up for a moment at the question before his eyes narrow.

"The hell is that supposed to mean?" he replies defensively. She rolls her eyes.

"The note? Maggie said that wasn't something you normally do. I think that's why Carol reminds me of the Grinch right now." Even he snorted at that, but he was back to being defensive a moment later.

"'Scuse me if I'm being nice for once. Jesus, didn't know ya wanted me to be a dick," he spat at her. She looks down at the ground and sighs.

"That was not what I said," she replies calmly. "I don't want that at all. I just want to know why am I so special? Why is Sam getting the gifts, and me with the books? Why am I getting the notes? That's what I'm asking." His face seems to soften a bit from the explanation, but he still looked away and then to the ground.

Almost inaudibly, he mumbles "I don't know." She looks up at him and tilts her head.

"You don't know?" He shrugs his shoulders.

"I don't. I'm just...doin' what I think," he states. She raises an eyebrow at the response.

"Doing what you think?" she chuckles. "Ok, Daryl. I'll take that as an answer...for now. I'm sure you're hungry. Dinner's served." She starts to walk to the courtyard but finds he wasn't following. He was looking out into the forest. "Hear something?" she asks. He shakes his head finally, walking over to step beside her.

"Nah, nothin'. Just thinking." She smiles.

"You seem to be doing that a lot lately." He playfully shoves her shoulder at the statement. Her mouth spreads again. It was fun to patronize him.

~%~

**Review? :) Luv ya!**


	6. Chapter 6

Thank you to the new followers and the review I got! Yet again, inspires me to write! So thank you **Jules and Dragon **for the reviews and the new followers I got. Now on with the story!**  
**

* * *

The sun had far along set below the horizon when Lucy was inside with Sammy and everyone else, sitting at a set up table in one of the common rooms. Some people were outside and were enjoying the nice and cool night air, compared to the warmth of the heat that was out during the day, but Lucy decided to stay inside. Mosquitos were known to be out during the night, and Lucy did not feel like getting eaten today.

She glances down at the food and smiles a bit. They had actually somehow managed to make mashed potatoes. They must have a garden somewhere behind the prison that Lucy had yet to see. Then again, she had only been in the prison for the past day. There was still a lot to discover. Along with that was a little bit of meat, but Lucy really only focused on the meal she had not had in such a long time, and those mashed potatoes were better then most of the shit she had been having out in the forest with Samantha.

"Mommy," Sam says, interrupting her thoughts. Lucy glances down at Sam and sees the jar she had gotten from Daryl in her hands. A huge grin was on her face. "Mr. Daryl brought this back for me today! And look." She shakes it just a bit and a few of the objects in there start to light up. She really did catch fireflies. "Aren't they pretty?" she asks, glancing into the jar. Lucy smiles.

"They are, but you know you can't keep them in there forever." Sam's brow furrows, her hold on the jar tightening at her mothers words.

"Why not?" she whines. Lucy rolls her eyes at her daughters persistence to want to keep the bugs. "There's holes in the lid, can't they breath?" Lucy nods.

"Yea, they can, but you need more than air to live. They're gonna need food and more space to fly around. They might die in there if you keep them." Sam pouts small.

"Oh," she speaks quietly. "Well, I don't want to kill them." She suddenly gets up from her seat and runs over to the door, and then opens her jar. Almost instantly the fireflies fly out into the night, lighting up the dark sky. Sammy runs back over and sits back next to Lucy, closing the jar. "Now they'll be ok!" Lucy chuckles.

"Yes, they will be," she snickers. Lucy takes a bite of her food and makes sure that Sam was eating as well, thankful that she was. This morning she hadn't been eating as much as she used to. Lucy looks up at the conversation going on at the table and listens quietly. Apparently, they were talking about life before this.

"You know, I like these meals, but you know what I want that I would do anything to get?" Maggie asks. Everyone looks at her with a questioning expression. "A cheeseburger. I'd give anything for something fattening." Some people laugh while a few just roll their eyes.

"I want a chocolate shake," Beth states, licking her lips at the mention of something as delicious as that. "Those were always so good on hot summer nights. Now all we got is water," she chuckles.

"Nah, I'd want TV," a young girl suddenly states. Lucy glances over and sees that she was maybe around Beth's age, maybe year younger. "I used to watch TV for hours. I was just getting into this new show when the world went to shit."

"What was it?" Beth asks. The girl thinks for a second.

"Glee, I was liking it a lot. Then the dead rose and I scurried away. I miss cartoons too. I would watch Spongebob..." Lucy zoned out as she looked around the area, trying to see if there was any way she could sneakily leave the room. To be honest she wasn't that hungry, and right now what they were talking bout really held no interest to her. She liked her computer more than anything before the apocalypse.

She looks around a bit until her eyes surprisingly lock with Daryl's from across the room. She felt her body freeze for a second. Had he been watching her? She raises an eyebrow at him.

"What're you doing?" she mouths questioningly to him. He shrugs, and she sees a smirk grown on his lips. What the hell was that for? She rolls her eyes at his response. "Of course you don't know," she mouths again. He decides to ignore that and points down at the food.

"You eating?" he mouths back to her. She shrugs her shoulders, shaking her head. She actually sees frustration written on his face for a moment. "Why not?" She raises her hands a bit in defense.

"I'm not hungry!" she mouths. "Why do you even care?" She could see he was about to rely but she was turned back to facing the girls when one of them pulled on her sleeve. She looks over with a furrowed brow. "What?" she asks.

"Did you hear us?" she asks, blowing a piece of red hair out of her eyes. This girl looked like she was maybe Lucy's age, a bit older, but all Lucy wanted to do was find out Daryl's answer. Lucy shakes her head.

"No," she replies.

"Must have zoned out a bit. We asked what do you miss the most?" Lucy actually had to think about that. There were a lot of things, simple stuff like heat and warm water, and a real working toilet to piss in, but she had a feeling that answer wouldn't suit them. She finally comes up with something.

"My job," she states. They all develop confused expressions, some with furrowed brows as her had been, while others were raised into their hairlines. The red hair girls was sort of a combination of the both.

"Your job," she states back, not believing what Lucy had just said, but Lucy nods.

"Yeah. I was a dance instructor for little kids at a big dance studio in New York City. Got a good pay, but it was always worth it to see the little kids grow up. I taught there for four years and saw them grow, in dancing and in themselves." Lucy snorts a bit, fingering her food. "Time is such a slut. She screws everybody."

Everyone bursts out laughing at the statement and Lucy smiles a bit. That was something she hadn't said in a while. It felt good to crack a joke. Lucy looks back over to where Daryl was sitting, but found that he wasn't there anymore. Her brow furrows. She had seen him...hadn't she? She starts to get up but was stopped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She tenses up from the contact, almost lashing out but realizes it was just red headed girl leaning on her for support while she catches her breath.

"Oh, that was brilliant," she gasps. Lucy smiles small down at the woman but tries to make an effort to leave, but she is later pulled back down to the bench in a huff. She is surprised by the force of the petite red head, but realizes she was basically screwed in trying to leave. "Where do you get those jokes from?" Lucy shrugs.

"I just come up with them," she replies. Beth smiles at her.

"Comedian and singer, that's a good combo," she comments. The red head looks at her surprised.

"You can sing too?!" she exclaims. "That's so cool! Can you sing for us?" Lucy smiles politely, backing away a bit, her hands in the air.

"No, I'm, uh, not really in the mood to sing something-"

"Oh, come on! Please?" she pursues. Lucy begins to answer back but the younger girl at the table interrupts her.

"She's probably just scared," she taunts. Lucy raises an eyebrow, her arms crossing, but before she could speak, Sammy does the speaking for her.

"My mommy isn't afraid of anything!" Lucy looks over at her daughter who now stood on the bench, and was surprised to find a bit of a glare at the younger girl. Lucy didn't even know her daughter knew how to glare.

"Really?" the red head replies. She looks at Lucy with a smirk. "If you're not scared of anything, then sing. Come on, your daughter obviously believes it." Lucy internally screams. Why did Sam have to say something?

"Fine," she grits out through clenched teeth. "What do you want me sing?" The younger girl and the red head look at each other and talk, and then turn back to her, both having a smile on their faces.

"Poker face," they both say. Lucy inwardly cringes. The one fucking artist she didn't like they told her to sing.

"Really?" she whispers. They shrug.

"Hey, if you're too afraid to si-"

"Ok! Ok, i'll sing," she mumbles, straightening herself out. She places her hands on the table and takes a deep breath. She hates when she's pressured into stuff like this, but now that her daughter had gone and said it, she had to, at least to make the kid smile.

_"I wanna hold em like they do in Texas Please_  
_Fold em let em hit me raise it baby stay with me, I love it_  
_Luck and intuition play the cards with Spades to start_  
_And after he's been hooked I'll play the one...that's on his heart"_

The whole entire table was concentrated on her now, all amazed by the sound that came out of her mouth. Lucy smiled. Now she felt a little more confident. But as she was so focused on trying to further impress the girls she didn't notice that many other heads in the room had turned to look at her.

_"Oh, oh, oh_  
_I'll get him hot, show him what I've got_  
_Oh, oh, oh_  
_I'll get him hot, show him what I've got"_

More people stopped what they were doing to listen to her sing, but Lucy was still only focused on getting the freaking song out. She still hated the piece of music with a passion.

_"Can't read my, can't read my_  
_No he can't read my poker face_  
_She's got to love nobody_  
_Can't read my, can't read my_  
_No he can't read my poker face_  
_She's got to love nobody_

_P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face_  
_P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face"_

She finished the song happily and the girls instantly started to clap. Lucy smiles and begins to get up but she hears a bigger applause surface throughout the room. She turns around and feels her cheeks brighten as she sees probably about three quarters of the room clapping their hands at her little performance, some standing up. She smiles cheekily and sits back down, her head facing the table. She hated being center of attention.

"See? My mommy isn't afraid of anything!" Lucy smiles at her daughter but plants her in her seat before she could say anything else that would get her in trouble.

"Just eat, sweetie."

~%~

Lucy sat in one of the guard towers later on when the light from the sun was completely gone now, nothing but blackness and a few lights from the stars and moon above to give her some source of light. Granted she had just gotten here the day before, but that didn't mean she didn't want to make sure she earned her keep. She would feel bad either way if she just stood stalk still and did nothing. Besides, she wanted to get away from all the people in there.

After she had sang, literally a shit ton of people had come up to her after dinner and said how great she was. A few even asked if she could sing something each night. Lucy was happy she was here, don't get her wrong, but she wasn't going to be putting on no show each and every night just because of one little dare she was forced to do.

She had been studying musical theater, but other then the actual stage, she didn't like preforming in front of people. She felt at home on the stage, not in some common room where people ate. The only other person she freely sang around was Quinn, but she had no clue where she was. She sighs silently, letting her head hang for a second before snapping it back up. She was on watch, she needed to keep her eyes open.

But that didn't stop her thoughts from wondering back to Quinn.

She missed her so much. Her airy laugh, her bright smile, her kind eyes, even her short blonde hair she missed. She had been her friend since she was in kindergarden and Quinn was in first grade. It was like a best friends forever match made in heaven, and she didn't think she would ever find someone like that again that would connect with her like that.

In the midst of her thoughts, she didn't hear the door open behind her and the footsteps approach, but when she felt the hand on her shoulder, she launched up out of her seat and pushed the object into the wall, her knife aiming to stab its head, memories rushing back into her head, but a hand from the object stopped her in her tracks, gripping her wrist.

"It's just me, Lucy," she hears him state. She finally clears her hazy thoughts to see who the person was and looks at the man, only to find it was Daryl. She lets out a breath of relief at the person who came, but steps back a moment later and slaps his bare shoulder as hard as she could. He flinches back a bit and glares at her. "What the hell was that for, woman?" he hisses at her.

"For scaring the shit out of me!" she cries. His glare hardens.

"Ya should have been paying attention!" he yells back at her. She flinches at the tone, just a bit, but doesn't back down.

"Even if I was you should have knocked! You would have surprised me either way!" She plops back down in her chair and crosses her arms across her chest. "I don't do well with surprises," she mumbles. She doesn't hear anything from him for at least a minute, and almost thought for a second he left, but out of the corner of her eye she saw him plop down in the chair next to her, leaning in his seat. She sighs. "Why are you even up? Shouldn't you be asleep?"

He snorts. "Yer crazy if ya think ya can actually get a good nights sleep in that place. Haven't slept well in months. 'M fine with staying up." She looks down at the floor and shrugs.

"Well, that sucks," she states. "I think the only reason I got sleep last night was because I hadn't really slept in a real bed for such a long time." She looks over at him. "I still can't thank you enough for bringing us back. Sam really likes it, and so do I, but it's gonna take a bit of time to get used to-"

"Ya don't have to thank me every damn time we see each other. Ya needed a place and I gave ya one, so stop actin' like its a big deal," he interrupts. Lucy shakes her head, looking back out into the fields.

"What happened to you, Dixon," she mumbles, hoping he wouldn't hear, but she was foolish to think that with how quiet it was outside, aside from the groans of the walkers far away, that he wouldn't at least hear her speak. His brow furrows and he faces her.

"What the hell does that mean?" he asks her, and she senses the bit of harshness in his tone, but she doesn't let it get to her. She had dealt with plenty of men like him in the past.

"I mean, what the hell happened to you that you can't even accept a simple thank you?" He stare at her for a second, an unreadable expression that she was really growing to hate before turning back to the field in front of them without another word. She sighs and shakes her head. In fact, he was making her smile for a second. "You remind me a bit of Quinn."

"Who?" he asks, still looking out. She smiles.

"Quinn. I told you about her once but I never really went into it." She leans back in her chair and brings her knees up, wrapping her arms around them, keeping both close to her chest. He snorts a bit.

"So I remind ya of a girl?" She laughs, shaking her head.

"No, you don't. You're anything but a girl," she continues. "Your personality, I mean. Quinn...she was my best friend. She still is. I met her when I was in kindergarden and she was in first grade." His brow furrows a bit.

"She's a year older then ya?" Lucy nods.

"Yeah, she was. But it didn't mean shit to me. Hell, we weren't in the same classes but we spent more time with each other then we did with our own classmates. She lived below me in my apartment building, one of the other white girls of Harlem besides me."

"Ya lived in Harlem? Now that's hard to believe." She raises an eyebrow at him.

"Why?" She moves her chair to face him fully. "That's how I'm still alive today. All the skills I learned from that place. Granted, it was hell for eighteen years, but it changed me , made me a survivor. Quinn...she was just another part of the puzzle that kept me going. She would always smile and make the light out of terrible situations. She would help me in school and everything. Then one day her dad got transferred to a new building. Paid him more money so they got a better house. It was a few blocks away but it felt like states. I used to just walk on downstairs and say hi, and we'd hang out for hours.

"When I got pregnant with Sam, I was only seventeen. My mom...ha, my mom," she laughs bitterly. "My dad and mom...well, you already know about their rocky relationship thanks to Sam, and yes, I would go to my mother's side to protect her. My mom was the only other friend I had. But my dad...he didn't care at all. When I told them he kicked me out, and my mother had on say. Quinn was there throughout the whole entire experience, and my mom tried to help but my dad would prevent her, saying 'she's just another whore is this world that needs to be burned.' He was such...a fucking dick. I'm sorry, I'm losing myself here," she chuckles, wiping her face.

"It's fine," he states quietly. "Gotta let it out every once and a while." She smiles at him.

"I guess." She places a piece of hair behind her ear as it falls out of her ponytail. "When she was around, she would help me with anything, and when Sammy was born she helped me with her when I was in college, taking care of her and keeping her healthy. When I was in my junior year I finally had time to spend with her and Quinn but also had to keep a job at the same time. My mom tried to help with the rent but my dad took care of that..." she mumbles, trying to fight back the tears that wanted to be released. She laughs off the pain.

"But Quinn, every single thing she did something I would thank her, but she would just pass it on like it was nothing, saying she didn't need any thanks because she loved me like I was family. She would do anything to protect me and never wanted to be thanked. She was so sweet." She glances down at her feet and sighs. "I miss her a lot."

"Think she might be anywhere down here?" Daryl asks. Lucy snorts.

"No," she bites out. "She's probably still in New York somewhere, so I know there's no chance of me seeing her again." She looks up at him. "Besides the group do you have any family out there?" He snorts again.

"No, had a brother but he aint around anymore." She nods, not furthering the topic. She looks back out into the field, listening to the bugs that were chirping throughout the night. The cicadas reminded her of the hot summer nights out on the fire escape back home.

"Sam really liked the jar," she says, breaking the silence. She always hated the quiet. She lived in the city for God's sake. Hearing loud things was her life. "She already caught fireflies in them, but I told her to let 'em go."

"Why the hell would ya do that?" he asks. "That's the purpose of the whole damn jar." She rolls her eyes.

"The bugs would have died in there!" she replies.

"Coulda kept them in until they did. Just clean it out." Lucy scoffs.

"The girl would wake up petrified to find them all dead. She's already seen me kill animals. She doesn't need to see bugs die as well." She looks back to the prison, her smile still on her face. "She sleeping better then she has in a while. Unlike me," she chuckles.

"Ya were out like a light this mornin'," he states quietly. She shrugs.

"That's because I was tired as fuck. I'm used to noise and everything, all that makes me go to sleep. Now I'm in a quiet ass prison, which I bet is haunted, and feel like someone's watching me at all times. But being in there is better then being outside fighting for my life." She looks at him and realizes she had pulled her chair close enough to touch him. She lays out a hand on his shoulder and immediately feels it tense underneath her touch. "Thanks for leaving the note."

He looks down at the ground, trying to avoid eye contact with her, but even she could see he was slightly uncomfortable talking about it. "Was nothin'," he mumbles. She rolls her eyes, taking her hand back.

"It is," she pursues. "If I didn't get it I probably would be wondering where the hell you went. Sam was looking for you, so I was thankful I had some sort of excuse to tell her." He looks up at her and she suddenly sees a sort of anger in his eyes, but also doubt. Something told her something bad was gonna happen.

"Ya know, I aint someone that ya can just follow around. I don't like it. It aint like ya need protectin', considerin' ya have kept that kid alive for the past year." Her eyebrows raise.

"Following YOU around? Daryl, I've been talking to other people here. But may I remind you that YOU are the one who brought me back here. YOU had the choice to offer me a place to stay. YOU took me back here. YOU are the person who brought me back a book and something for Sam. YOU are the one who was checking if I was eating. And YOU were the person who left a note. I didn't ask for any of that. And if it's any of us who is following you around, it's Sam. She likes you, a lot. And so do I."

"Why?" he interrupts. "Why do ya of all people like me? Half the people here are scared out of their wits sometimes to even look at me." She smiles softly.

"Because you saved my daughter and I," she chuckles lightly. "You know, you don't get to choose if you get hurt in this world...but you do have some say in who hurts you. I like my choices."

"How do ya know I won't hurt ya?" he asks quietly.

"I don't." He looks back at her. She shrugs. "I don't," she repeats. "I'm not some person who can see into the future and see if someone may hurt you. If I could, I would be a very different person then who I am now. But even if that did happen, oh well. Everyone has their spats. Just gotta learn to get through it." She sees the sliver of a smile appear on his face.

"Sorry for being a dick." She snorts.

"Don't matter. I've dealt with worser cases." He chuckles a bit.

"I heard ya singing before," he says. "Was gettin' up to check the permitters and heard the song. Yer good."

She smiles up at him. "Thanks, but there are so many other people who are better. My friend Lilly-" The door bangs open in the guard tower and Lucy jumps, looking over at the intruder. It was Carol. The woman glances between Daryl and Lucy for a second before speaking.

"I...uh, I'm covering for Lucy so you can go to sleep," she says, looking at Lucy. Lucy sighs.

"Okay," she murmurs, standing up. "Thanks for coming Carol. Night Daryl," she says as she heads towards the stairs. She hears him utter a 'night' in reply, but as she went down the stairs, she couldn't help but fell eyes on her. She shakes her head. It was probably just jitters.

~%~

Later on, Lucy sat in her cell at the small desk that was probably allowed in there for the prisoners to use before all this. She never really understood why they had desks. she highly doubted that the people here before used them. Daryl had mentioned the day before that there had been prisoners here when they had first arrived at the place, but all of them were gone.

She had lit a small candle she had found in one of the rooms earlier that day. There was a small light in there, but since Samantha was sound asleep on the top bunk, she decided against it. She wanted her daughter to get as much sleep as she could.

She glances up at the top bunk and sees Sam's head peeking out from underneath the covers. Her eyes were closed and her chest rose steadily as she slept. Some of her dark brown hair was covering her eyes, as most of it had fallen out while she slept. She was a turner, moved a lot, just like Lucy had done when she was younger. And like most four year olds, her left thumb was stick in her mouth.

Lucy smiles. Samantha really was her little light in the darkness. When she had conceived her, no one except Quinn and occasional her mom when she could call would talk to her. She had closed herself off from the world during this time, only talking to the most sacred people that stuck around. When Sam was born, she was so full of life that Lucy was forced to put herself out like that, and Sam kept her going now. If it wasn't for Sam, when she lost Quinn, she would have probably cashed out a long time ago.

She looks back down at the desk and continues to draw. When she was bored-or couldn't get to sleep, which was her problem right now-she would draw random little pictures. Right now all she was thinking about was the forest for some reason. All she wished for was just some colored pencils to actually color in the pictures. She wondered exactly where she could maybe find some. Maybe if she went out on a run she could find some.

Lucy places her pencil down and stands up, quietly leaving the cell so she could quickly use the bathroom. She needed to get to sleep before she passed out herself. She wondered if Daryl eventually got to sleep. She understood about not getting a good nights sleep. It was hard in a creepy place like the prison.

She makes it to the bathroom and looks at herself in the mirror. Her hair was all crappy. She needed another shower. The last shower she had gotten was maybe a week and a half ago. They had showers here, right? Maybe she could spare one right now.

She turns around and nearly screams when she sees another person watching her. Her hand goes to her mouth as she tries to catch her breath. It was just Carol again. What was up with this girl showing up out of nowhere?

"Carol," Lucy chuckles out, her air now back in her body. "Hey. You off watch?" The woman nods, her arms crossed, coming over to the sink where Lucy was. "That's good. Who's covering?"

"Rick," she replies simply. Lucy nods.

"Did Daryl get off?" She nods.

"Yeah, a while ago." Lucy smiles. That meant he had to be asleep some where. Unlike her.

"That's good as well. I'm sure he was tired." Carol turns to her and Lucy noticed she was biting her lip. "What's wrong?" she asks, honestly concerned.

"What's your opinion on Daryl?" she asks. Lucy's brow furrows. That was a random question. She smiles.

"I like him. Well, he saved my daughter and I from staying out there, so I sort of have to," she chuckles. "But honestly? He's cool. My daughter seems to really like him though," she chuckles. Carol nods.

"I saw you two before. You seem real cozy," she mutters. Lucy shrugs.

"We were just talking." Carol finally looks at her and Lucy could see that she seemed angry. Something about the way she looked at her made her want to run for the hills.

"Let me just get one thing straight, Lucy. I know you may like Daryl and all that, but honestly, you need to back off. He doesn't like you like that, and I highly doubt he ever will. You look a bit pathetic, sneaking up on him and all that. You can be friends with him all you like, but just don't ever try that sort of shit, because he won't do anything like that." Lucy's eyebrows raise. Oh, this bitch was not saying this.

"Ok, first off, are you and Daryl dating?"

"Well, no but-"

"Then that doesn't give you the right to dictate what I can and can not do with him. Second, I wasn't planning on doing anything of the sort. I'll admit, he's good-looking, and he can be sweet, but I wasn't going to 'try' anything on him. So by all means, go for it Carol, because obviously you want him." She goes to the door and turns back around one last time. "I have a cell to get back to, so have a nice night."

Before Carol could reply, Lucy was already far out the door, stomping her way back to her cell. Who was she to tell her what to do? This was her life! She was allowed to do what she wanted!

"Freaking bitch," she mutters as she reaches her cell. She blows out her candle and climbs into bed. She prayed she would get to sleep as fast as she could, and thankfully, God finally answered her prayer, and her mind was off in dreamland minutes later.

~%~

**Reviews would be nice :) Luv ya! sorry it's so long lol. **


	7. Chapter 7

thanks for the new followers and favorites, as well to **Jules and Dragon **for the review. I luv you all! Now on with the story!

* * *

**1 Month Later**

"Ow!" Sam cries. She pulls her hand back from the gates and looks at the new cut on her finger. Something had just bit her on the top of her finger. She looks around to see what it was and her eyes land on the small creature drawing across the spine of the gate. She frowns. "Stupid spider," she mumbles.

She bangs the gate and it rattles, sending the spider down to the ground. In a frenzy, the bug tries to crawl away as quickly as possible, but Sam took the bottom of the small boots she had on and crushed it, stomping it to the concrete. A few seconds later she pulled back. "Yuck!" There were spider guts all over her shoe now.

She pouts and places her foot back down on the ground. She brings her finger back up and sees the steady trickle of blood start to make it's way down to her wrist. Blood didn't faze her small little mind. After seeing it so much on all the monsters she didn't mind it at all. She always helped mommy when she went out hunting, and she handled bloody animals. But she still didn't like getting bit by something so small. It still hurt.

She sits down on the pavement and looks out into forest, and in the distance she could see some of the monsters stumbling around, trying to find something else to eat or to kill. She wondered deep down if there were still people in there, and they were just taken over by some weird disease, but every time she saw the white eyes, she knew that the people who were once in there were long gone.

"Sam?" she hears behind her. Sam turns her head and sees Daryl coming towards her. She smiles up at him. She liked Daryl. He made her feel safe. Not like her mom didn't as well, but he was one of the only other people that actually gave her that feeling. "Why ya out here? Aint safe."

"I was looking at the bugs on the gate and I followed one until it came out here," she says. She places her finger up in the air for him to see. "It was a spider, and it bit me." He kneels down to where she sat and looked at the finger.

"Got ya good," he mumbles. "Does it hurt?" She shrugs.

"A little," she replies. "It hurt at first, but it's going away."

"Yer a trooper if this doesn't hurt," he chuckles. "First time I got a spider bite I cried like a baby." She tilts her head.

"I can't see you getting hurt. You always see everything around you." He snorts a bit.

"Trust me, kid. I've gotten hurt too many times to count." He stands up and holds out a hand for her to take. "Come on. Let's get that patched up." She smiles again and takes his hand gratefully. Compared to her small and dainty one, his hand was huge and a bit rough, but she still liked holding it none the less. He helped her up easily.

"Can you carry me?" she asks cutely. His eyebrows raise in question.

"I don't think that's a go-"

"Please?" she interrupts, her bottom lip out in a pout. His shoulders drop at her look. Even if he could be an asshole to people he didn't want to see the kid sad. He sighs, glancing behind him to make sure no one was there, and turns back to Sam.

"Fine," he mumbles, leaning down quickly and picking her up in his arms. She giggles when she's settled on top of his arms, and wraps her small ones around his neck to keep herself steady. Hearing the kid laugh made a half smile appear on his face, but when he saw Rick and Glenn looking to where he was a walking, a smirk on both their faces, he sighed angrily and walked faster into the prison. "Why ya doin' this, Sam?" he whispers to her.

"Because you like me," she teases. He rolls his eyes as he walks into the shade of the tall building.

"Startin' to question why I do," he chuckles quietly. Sam rolls her eyes. He sits her down at one of the tables and takes a seat on the bench, having grabbed a wipe and a bandaid from the small table near him.

"You also like my mommy, so thats why I do it." He raises an eyebrow as he begins to wipe down the blood that had made its way down her arm.

"Why ya think that?" he asks. She shrugs.

"I see you look at her a lot when she's not looking. And you smile at her a lot but not at a lot of other people. And-"

"Ok, kid, I get it," he interrupts, hoping that no one had heard that little statement. "Just 'cause I do that doesn't mean I like her like that," he tells her. Sam's face drops and she looks down to the ground.

"Oh," she mumbles. He looks up and sees the frown.

"That don't mean I don't like her," he gets out, trying to undo what he said. He knew if he said somethin' stupid Sam would go straight to Lucy and tell her. She did that literally all the time. She looks up, her head tilted. "I like her just not...like that," he mutters. Sam sighs.

"Okay," she states. He wraps the bandaid around her finger quickly and nods.

"There ya go," he says. Sam looks at the bandaid and frowns.

"What are those?" she asks as she points to the picture on the bandaid. He looks at it and was surprised the little kid didn't know what it was.

"Those are, uh...princesses," he replies. Sam's brow furrows.

"What are those?"

"I think that's a question for yer mama, Sam." she shrugs, hopping off the table and running to the door. "Hey!" he calls after her. She turns around. "Stay away from the outer gates. They aint a good place to go for a four year old." She smiles, nodding her head.

"Thank you!" she yells, running back outside. He chuckles at the girls persistence to want to get back out. Even at night he saw how much she wanted to stay out and look at the all the stars, or the bugs. She loved the bugs.

He sighs and places his head in between his hands for a second. Granted it had been nearly a month since he had brought Lucy and Sam back to the prison. Lucy had fit in well here. She was practically friends with everyone by now. The two people he often found her with were the Greene sisters. They got along well. She also got along with Hershel, and sometimes she was in the infirmary helping any injured people. He didn't know where she learned how to do stitches but she knew how. And how to do them well.

But that was the thing about Lucy. She seemed to be good at practically _everything._ Sometimes to the point where is pissed him off.

She had been slow at skinning, but she picked it up super fast when he showed her how to properly do it. She was good at shooting any gun, rifle or pistol, but that hadn't been the fact that impressed him. After she had shown off the guns, she had taken on more advanced shit. Bow and arrow, got it. Knife throwing, got it. Hell, he had even wanted to see what she could do with the crossbow and she had picked it up within a matter of minutes.

Weapons wise, she was a fucking natural. She was fast. She was strong. She was everything that he didn't think of her when she discovered him in that cabin.

But then there was the gentle side of her. The mother side. How she was still a good mother to Sam even in this shit storm. How sometimes he would hear her sing to Sam before she went to sleep. How she would help out with meals sometimes. How she would play with the little kids. She was so sweet to everyone even when sometimes it looked like she wasn't even in the mood.

And it pissed him off.

It pissed him off that she was so nice and sweet but could be a total asskicker later. It pissed him off that she was good in everything. It pissed him off that her kid was starting to grow on him. It pissed him off that he had nearly told her about his past in that guard tower that night. And it pissed him off that every single fucking time he looked at her all he wanted to do was take her in his arms and kiss her. It pissed him off so much.

She was fucking twenty two! That was a thirteen year fucking age difference! Why was he even thinking about her like that in the first place anyway? It wasn't like he would ever have a chance with her. They had shitty fathers, that was basically where the similarities ended. She was a college student, a fucking performer, and a too fucking nice for anyone like him.

He sighs angrily at himself and bangs the table frustrated. About to get up and stomp off into the woods to let off steam, he's stopped by a small voice coming from the entrance of the cafeteria.

"Daryl?" he hears someone say quietly behind him. He turns around, ready to tell them to fuck off, but as soon as he sees Lucy's arms crossed across her chest with a concerned look on her face, his anger at himself dies down to a mild buzz that was still brewing. "Are you ok?"

"'M fine," he replies curtly. She doesn't even flinch at the anger that seeped from his words. Another quality. She didn't take anyones shit.

"You don't look it," she replies.

"Aint none of yer business how I am," he snaps back. She rolls her eyes at his stubbornness.

"Fine, be that way," she mumbles, leaving to go outside. He sighs, running a hand through his messy hair.

"Wait," he quickly says, looking down at the ground. She turns around, her brow raised, ready for him to talk. He looks up and sees that her dark blue eyes were boring into him, waiting for him to say something. He sighs, another hand going through his hair nervously. "Look, I'm just...stressed," he states. Yeah, that was the word. She walks forward to him.

"Stressed about what?" she asks, popping up onto the table. "Is it food? Water? I can he-"

"No, ya can't," he interrupts. She bites her lip. Would this be crossing the line?

"Is it...woman troubles?" she mumbles. His eyes widen.

"Why the hell would ya think that?" he whisper-yells at her. She raises her arms in defense.

"Well fuck me if you aint telling!" she chuckles. "You're not telling me why so I'm just guessing!" He looks her up and down quickly, seeing she was wearing a tight black tank top with a plaid shirt over it, as well as jean shorts with sneakers. He shakes his head of any thoughts that were finding their way into his head and sits down at the table. "So nothing like that?" she asks.

"No," he finally answers. She sinks into the seat next to him and thinks.

"Well, do you wanna go shoot?" she asks. He looks up with a raised eyebrow. "That's what I used to do when I was stressed. Go straight down to the shooting range and just shoot. It helps. We could straight off into the forest, maybe kill some animals." He scoffs a bit at the description, but realizes that was sort of what he was going to do before she came in. If she came with him, he didn't know what would happen with all of Sam's words floating around ins his head.

"I don't know-"

"Please, Daryl?" she whispers almost pleadingly. His eyes narrow. That wasn't something she usually did. Something was up.

"Lucy, what's going on?" he asks sternly. She looks down at the table, her face turning red. "Lucy," he repeats. She looks up and shrugs her shoulders.

"It's nothing, really," she mumbles. "There was this one guy down in the tombs before and-"

"Who?" he asks, trying to keep the slowly building anger that was dying to come out tamed.

"That Marcus guy? The one we took in a week ago," she replies quietly. His hands fist underneath the table.

"Lucy, if he did anything I swear to fucking God," he angrily replies, his voice low.

"He tried...but I stopped him before he could. I kneed him in the balls." He smirks a bit at this, but his face turns back to serious a moment later.

"Lucy, did he really not do-"

"Daryl, I'm fine," she chuckles. "But all I want to do is leave. Please?" He stares at her for a second, contemplating whether or not, but after hearing this from her, he felt that even more steam needed to be released. He sighs.

"Yeah, yeah I could do that," he states. She smiles at him. "But we're takin' the bike out." And the smile faded.

"Really?" she mumbles. He grins.

"Come on, aint that bad," he retaliates, but when she raises an eyebrow at him, questioning his sanity, he laughs.

"You're insane. I could fall off that shit or-"

"I aint gonna let ya fall off," he replies. She crosses her arms stubbornly but realizes that he was telling the truth. No matter how much of an ass he could be sometimes he wouldn't let something like that happen to her.

"Fine," she growls. "But If I die today I'm gonna haunt your ass." He snorts.

"Aint gonna happen," he replies, starting to get up. "What were ya doin' in the tombs anyway?" he asks. She sighs.

"I...you'll just think I'm crazy," she mumbles awkwardly. He rolls his eyes.

"Just tell me," he says impatiently.

"I thought I heard Quinn talking to me," she blurts out. He raises an eyebrow. "I just thought I heard her voice and I went looking for her, and I didn't know Marcus was following me into there." He shakes his head, looking out the door, hiding the still growing anger on his face.

"Another time ya should be payin' attention." he mutters. She sends him a glare but realizes deep down that he was right. She didn't pay attention well. In fact she often zoned out when things were super quiet. Another reason why she wanted to live in the city again. The daily sound of cars honking and people yelling kept her alert.

"Ok, I get it. I'm a dumbass," she laughs bitterly. "I can't help it if that asshole is a freaking ninja." He turns around swiftly, prepared to go off on that little comment but is stopped when Sam comes rushing into the room, going as quickly as she could. Lucy looks over and sees her running. She leans down to stop her. "Whoa there, Sammy, what's going on?"

The kid takes a minute to catch her breath before looking back up at them. She holds out something in her hands and gives it to Lucy, who takes the object with a questioning look. "Me and Luke were digging through the dirt to find something we buried the other day, but we found this instead. I don't know what it is, but Luke told me to bring it to you."

Lucy takes a good look at the object and sees it looked to be a really old notebook. She opens it and closes her eyes and the dust that puffs out. Looking inside she sees a name written down on the property line.

**Property Of:**

_Elizabeth Hills_

"Someone's journal," she mumbles. Placing it in her back pocket, she leans down to Sam and smiles. "Thank you, sweetie. That was smart." Her eyes move to the bandage, her brow furrowing. "What happened?" Sam smiles.

"I got bit by a spider," she states simply. "But Daryl cleaned it up." Lucy looks up at him with a raised eyebrow, only to see him looking the other way. But Lucy had great vision, and even she could see the tint of red that showed up on his face. She turns back to Sam.

"Well, that's good," she chuckles. "But how about you go play with your friends again. Mommy has to take a little trip." Sam's brow furrows.

"Where are you going?" she asks worriedly. "Are you leaving me?" Lucy smiles again.

"No, honey. I'm not leaving you. Daryl and I are just gonna be gone for a few hours. Nothing more." Sam nods, looking up at Daryl.

"Keep my mommy safe," she warns. Lucy laughs at the comment and Daryl even manages a smile at the little girl.

"Don't worry, Sam. She'll be fine," he replies. She nods, giving Lucy a quick hug and then running back outside to play. Lucy stands up, her hands on her hips, looking to Daryl with a smile. "What?" he asks, annoyance dripping through his voice. She snickers.

"She got bit by a spider-" He sighs and walks out the door to where his bike was, but she doesn't let this go that easily. "Wait, wait, hold up, we are not letting this just walk out the door. Why'd you do that?" He shrugs.

"She was hurt and I patched her up. Aint nothing no one else wouldn't have done." She crosses her arms, a smirk on her face.

"If I didn't know any better I'd say you're coddling her," she comments.

"Shut up."

~%~

**This chapter was sort of a filler, but I needed to put it in to build up to the next chapter. Posting them both at the same time. Good stuff gonna happen. :) I hope the time jump didn't confuse people, I just can't write that much lol**

**Review? :) Luv ya!**


	8. Chapter 8

Lucy didn't know if her arms could wrap any tighter around Daryl's waist as he drove the motorcycle down the road. When she was younger she always wanted to know what it would feel like to ride one of these, but right now all she wanted to do was get off. Her face was buried deep into his back as her hair flew in the wind. "This is hell on earth," she yells at him through the noise. She feels him laugh. 'Asshole,' she thinks.

She moves her head to the side to look at the forest passing by. She sees a few walkers in the forest but the bike was way, way too fast for the idea of them even coming close to her and Daryl. She lets her grip on his waist lessen a bit as she glances around her. Some of her hair blocked her vision, but even so she was actually starting to enjoy it a bit.

Daryl spares a glance back at Lucy to find her staring out into the forest. How is it she was freaking out a minute before and now she was completely calm?

He shakes his head, glancing back to the front. As a sigh escapes her lips, she rests her head back on his back and closes her eyes. It didn't seem so bad now.

After a few more minutes the bike slows down to a stop and Lucy gets off. For a second she thought she was good, and then she felt her head spin. Before she could fall down to the ground, Daryl was already off his bike and steadying her. His hands touch her shoulders to balance her, and she places her hands on her head to stop the dizziness.

"Ya ok?" he snickers. She takes a deep breath and looks up, glaring at him.

"It was nice for a minute," she hisses. "God, remind me to never go anywhere with you again." He chuckles.

"Aint abnormal. First time I got off a bike I nearly hurled." She rolls her eyes as he takes his hands off her shoulders, her arms now crossed.

"We could have taken the truck but no, we had to take the bike," she mumbles. He rolls his eyes at her brash attitude.

"Stop complainin'. Ya were enjoying it for a second," he retaliates. She shakes her head and takes out her gun. Before she could go off into the forest, Daryl's hand wraps around hers. She stops in her tracks and snaps her head back to look at him. "Ya can't use that. The sound will bring them." Her brow furrows.

"Wasn't the whole point of getting out of the prison to shoot?" she asks. He takes the gun from her and places it back in one of the satchels of the motorcycle.

"Ya can let off stress without using a gun," he replies. She bites her lip stubbornly.

"That's the only thing I brought," she mumbles, looking down at her shoes embarrassingly. She sees him take out his knife and hand it to her. She looks up, a confused look on her face. "That's yours."

"Yer good with throwing one. Take it." She goes from the knife to him a few times before sighing and taking the slightly heavy object in her hands. She stares at it in her hands. He raises an eyebrow. "Why are ya observing it like it's gonna jump at ya," he chuckles.

"I've never thrown a knife like this," she mutters. "It's heavier then the ones I usually throw." He shrugs.

"You'll be fine," he states. He nods his head to the forest. "Come on, let's go." She takes one last look at the knife and sighs, following him into the endless amount of trees. Glancing around her at all times, she walks in time with him. Well, this could either end really good or really bad.

~%~

Blood sprays over Lucy's shirt as she stabs yet another walker in the head. She'd been keeping count. This was maybe her fifteenth walker, and the next one that came along was Daryl's seventeenth. The arrow pierced through its head easily, sending it to the ground, but he wasted no time in picking it up and reloading the crossbow.

As he would reload Lucy would watch how his muscles would flex, how tensed he always looked. She had been like that for a long time after having Sam, her eyes always opened, ready for anything that could happen to her, but as time went on she let herself cool down. Seeing another person like that sort of made her want to frown. Maybe she could do something else besides killing walkers.

Another walker begins to stumble up behind her and she spins around as fast as possible, the knife sinking straight into the edge of the forehead. The blood went to her face this time, and she stepped back disgusted. As the disgusting monster tumbled to the ground, she used the plaid shirt she was wearing to wipe off the sticky substance. Daryl looks through the trees, all traces of walkers gone.

"Think all of 'em are gone," he mutters, leaning against a spare tree. She sighs and collapses down onto the ground in a heap. Her hands go to her hair and she grimaces when she feels dried up blood in there. Well, she needed a fucking shower very badly.

"You have any idea how far we are from the bike?" she asks. He looks around. They had gone pretty far into the forest. But by now it looked like maybe a half hour away. After running into the small herd they sort of lost track of time.

"Probably not that far." She nods, looking back up at him. Her brow furrows when she sees a bit of his shirt ripped under his leather vest. She gets up from the ground, placing the knife in her belt.

"Did they get you?" she asks worriedly. He looks down at where she was pointing and sees the small gash that was on his stomach. That wasn't from a walker. That was from him being a fucking idiot and being bashed into a tree by a walker. One of 'em had been probably well over 200 pounds.

"Nah, stumbled and got cut. Aint nothin' I can't deal with." Lucy still looked worried.

"I can take care of it," she replies. No. No fucking way was she seeing his scars. He snorts, trying to ride of the small amount of nervousness.

"Ya don't even have anything with ya to help. It's easy to take care of." She raises an eyebrow at his words and reaches into the pocket that had the notebook that Sam gave to her. A moment later she pulls out a small first aid kit that had been settled deep within her pants. His eyebrows raise in disbelief. "Why the fuck do ya have that?" She shrugs.

"I have a four year old daughter. You have to be prepared for situations like this. I'm sure there are some bandages in there. I got some water to clean it with. Come on, we can find some place to settle down for a second to fix that." She walks forward, trying to find a good place to sit at while Daryl fumbled a bit with his shirt. Maybe there was a way she could wrap it up without having to take it off. There had to be some sort of way.

And those were the thoughts that kept trying to form as Lucy tried to find a place to work with. Probably about fifteen minutes later, she comes up to a small grove that led off into a cliffside. Over the edge she could see even more forest at the bottom of the small cliff, and the sun was starting to go down, casting a delicate orange shadow over the land. To her it reminded her of one of those postcards you would get at a state park and send it to family.

"This is good," she says. "Lean against the tree." He leans against the tree with his arms crossed. She places her hands on her hips, a smirk gracing her face. "Smartass. On the ground, you dick." He laughs at her reaction, a laugh she was really starting to like, but he sat down either way. Getting down on the floor, she opens the kit and pulls out the bandage in there as well as the cleaning wipes. She then takes out a cantina from her other pocket and pours some water on it.

She drinks a bit of the liquid, savoring the bit she could get down, and then crawls over to Daryl, leaning in front of him on her knees. He was unusually quiet, and that sort of sketched her out a bit because he would always talk when she was around. That was one thing she noticed. Around other people he was quiet, but with her he was actually good company. He talked easily, nothing crazy like some people in the past, but he was still always able to make her laugh or smile with his stupid little comments.

Her hands move to his vest and shimmies it off, trying to see if he was ok with it, but he was really showing no sign of resistance. When the vest is on the ground her fingers move to the first button on his sleeveless shirt. As soon as she touches it, one of his hands grasps hers tightly, stopping her from doing anything. Her brow furrows.

"Don't," he states quietly.

"Daryl, even if it wasn't infected already it will be. I need to take off the shirt to wrap the bandage around." His hand was still tightly gripping hers. She sighs. "Daryl, please?" she asks. For a moment she thinks he's not gonna let her, and he'll just deal with it when he gets back to the prison, but he lets out a tired sigh and removes his hand, giving her permission to do what she wants.

Her hands finally undo the first button and she makes her way down. When she reaches the bottom, she takes off the shirt as quickly as possible. Taking the wipe in her hands, she touches the small gash with a little too much pressure, causing Daryl to cringe a bit. "Sorry," she mumbles, pressing on it gentler.

As she cleaned the wound her eyes wondered a bit. He was toned, there was no question about that. You sort of had to be in this world. Either you were fit or you were dead. He was also a bit dirty, but really everyone was permanently dirty now, no matter how hard they tried to scrub away the dirt. She also saw that he had a tattoo on his chest and wondered if there were any others, but her question was answered when she moved to his back to wrap the bandage around.

There was another one, alright, but what she saw took her back to when she was a kid. Several deep and painful looking scars littered his back, ones that reminded her of the few she had on her body. Deciding to not comment on them yet, she simply wraps the bandage around his torso and tucks it into the back. She sighs, letting her hands rest on it for a second.

"That'll do," she states. "When we get back to the prison you should have Hershel look at it to see if it needs stitches or not. I think it'll be fine." She takes her hands back and crawls back to the front. On the way she hands him his shirt, to which he takes gratefully. She looks down at the ground a bit awkwardly while he places his shirt back on. "You know, my dad stabbed me."

His head snaps up from the buttons on his shirt as he reaches the last one, and she could see the questioning look in his eyes. She nods a bit, pulling up her shirt to just right above her waist so he could see the small scar there, right on the right side of her body. "When he found out I was pregnant, he tried to give rid of the baby by stabbing me in the stomach, but he was way off, and he got the side of my waist. I left that night and went to Quinn's and she patched me up."

She moves back a bit and takes off her plaid shirt. Then removes her tank top. Daryl's eyes widen as she does. 'Jesus, fuck, she's fit,' he thinks inwardly, panicking slightly. Her breasts were in a pushup bra, but her stomach was flat and tan, and even he could see the slightest bit of abs there, probably from the dancing. If she didn't put that back on soon he would have a problem.

"What're ya doin'?" he manages.

"Showing you something," she replies. She comes closer to him, much to his small dismay, and turns her back. Daryl knew she had a tough past, but when he saw the multitude of scars on her back he was shocked to say the least. She brings her knees up to her chest and places her head on them, her arms wrapping around her legs.

"Who-"

"My dad," she says softly. "Few of them are from middle school. I was bullied a lot." His fingers shook a bit with the sudden urge to touch one of 'em, but thinking to how weird that might be he makes sure to keep his movements under control.

"Why're ya showing 'em to me?" he asks quietly. She turns around and places her hand on his, surprising him.

"Because I saw the scars." She laces her fingers with his, and at the sudden contact he stares down at the ground, not really knowing how to approach this. "If you don't mind, who did them to you?"

"My old man," he mutters. She nods softly.

"I didn't say anything because I feel like you're the type of person who doesn't take sympathy easily, and if I said sorry you'd brush me off...you already know about my past, so I wanted to show you that you're not alone in this. You're not the only one. And I may have not known you for long, but I feel like you carry the weight of the world on your shoulders all the time. And you don't deserve to. I mean, you're practically the best badass I've ever met."

He snorts a bit at the statement, his head still facing the ground. "Yer practically good in everythin'," he comments. "Strong, fast, good shooter...pisses me off how good ya are," he grumbles. She smiles sadly.

"I'm not good in everything. I may have grown up in Harlem but I have made some of the worst damn calls in my life. I'm not street smart at all." She bites her lip and sighs. "Even if you don't think this, Sam wasn't the product of a stupid decision with my boyfriend, or a drunk night out. I was saving it for someone special, no matter how stupid that sounds.

"Aint stupid," he murmurs. "What happened then?" She was silent for a moment, having an internal battle in her head whether to really tell him or not. But not even moments later she decided. She trusted him, more than anyone else back at the prison.

"I was raped."

His slack grip on her hand tightens, and she could see his jaw clenched in anger. He was practically fuming on the inside. What fucker would rape a girl like Lucy?!

"I was cutting school for the first time with Quinn, and it was our senior year. We wanted to just have fun, I guess. We snuck into a bar once we shook the old place, and I met this guy. His name was Louie. He was in college at the time, pretty handsome guy, but a city boy. Me and Quinn got dragged into him and all his friends there. They bought us drinks and talked with us, and for once Quinn and I actually felt like we fit in. But I blacked out at one point. A while later I found out that he roofed by drink. He raped me while I was passed out, and he would have gone even further if Quinn hadn't punched the guys brains out. She was so scared and mad, and it was all because of a stupid decision I made.

"This scar," she says, pointing to the one where her dad had stabbed her. "Is all because of me. Because I had poor judgement." She takes her tank top back and removes her hand from his tight grip to place it back on. When it's securely in place she places her hands back down on the ground, only this time away from his hands by a few inches. "You are able to tell if someone's good or not. I can't do that."

She moves closer as she shimmies on the plaid shirt.

"You protect everyone at the prison. You keep people safe. You care. Hell, I know Sam by now loves you." She places one of her hands on the side of his face, cupping his cheek tenderly. "You're a good man, Daryl. And those scars on your back may be bad memories, but that's what they are, memories. They don't determine who you are now." She moves her hand away. "Would you look at me, Daryl?" she chuckles.

No. No he couldn't, because if he did he knew he would kiss her. He knew his body would take over and she would be under him in seconds. People had said that shit to him before, but hearing it from her made him feel so much different the with the others. He needed to control whatever was stirring inside of him at the moment or else bad shit was gonna happen. Well, it could be either good or bad, but he didn't want to take the chance.

He looks up after a second and sees she had moved back a bit, but not by much. She takes the notebook out from her back pocket and smiles mischievously.

"Let's see what people have to say," she chuckles, opening up to the middle of the book. She skims the page before finding something. "Here we go." She clears her throat. "_Man, fuck this place!" _she starts in the most exaggerated southern accent she could muster. It did its job apparently, because Daryl burst out laughing. She smiles at him and continues on. "_Every single day I have to deal with these real criminals. I feel like I'm trapped in a maze and can never get out. I know this is a bit selfish, but I wish you were here Hannah. What I did was for you, and I don't regret a single bit. So what if I have a year in prison, it was to keep you safe. I miss you so much, and I can't wait for the days that we meet in this stink ass place.-Elizabeth"_

"Wait, so they're gay?" Daryl asks. Lucy was laughing, her head shaking.

"I guess," she snickers. She goes onto the next passage. "_Elizabeth-I know what you did was for me, and I appreciate it more than anything in the world. I miss you just as much. When you get out, all I'm gonna do is snake my-_Ok, no, I'm not reading that," she chuckles, placing the book back down on the ground. His brow furrows in curiosity and he reaches over to take the book. Her eyes widen. "Don't read it!"

Well, that was too late, because his eyes were already skimming the page, and not even a minute later he placed it back down on the ground with an uncomfortable look.

"That's fucked up," he mumbles. She makes a disgusted face, looking out over the cliff. "What is that?" he asks, moving his eyes from the book to her.

"It's some sort of journal," she states, gingerly grabbing the book again. "This was how these two lovers communicated. One of 'em buried the book in the ground where the other could burry it up. This how they would talk everyday." She opens up to the back to look at another page. "I gotta say, it's sweet, but some of the stuff in here is not appropriate for children's eyes. Thank God Sam gave this to me."

"Don't they get like a phone call or somethin' like that?" he asks. She shrugs.

"I've never been in prison so I don't know," she replies, placing the book down. "I never really thanked you for helping my daughter with that cut."

"Ya don't need to." She rolls her eyes.

"Yes, I do. I was being stupid, following a voice I didn't even know. I wasn't keeping an eye on her like I should, but you did, and I'm thankful for that." She snorts, shaking her head. "I'm so fucking stupid. Following Quinn's voice like she was actually there. Then I almost got raped again. Thank God he gave me legs."

"If ya want, i'll punch him," he responds quietly. She snort-laughs, covering her face with her hands, trying to hide the giant smile that was building on her face.

"As entertaining as that would be, I don't want to start trouble at the prison. I can deal with him." She stands up from her spot and leans against a tree. "I liked this," she smiles at him. "Helped with the stress going on in my brain." She gives him the knife for him to take back, but he pushes it into her own hands. "It's yours."

"Keep it." He stands up from the ground. "Yer good with it." She smiles a bit and places it in her belt, sighing.

"Back on the bike?" she asks, her mouth in a tired scowl.

"Yup," he states. She rolls her eyes, following him into the woods.

"Do you feel any better?" she asks, following into step with him. He looks down at her and nods, though a bit reluctantly. The conflict in him was still there, but he knew one thing, and that was that he wasn't letting anyone touch her or her daughter ever again. He knew he was getting into trouble caring about her like this, but he knew he couldn't just ignore them now.

She smiles again. "Good. Now, please go slow on that bike this time." He snorts.

"Sure, princess. Sure."

~%~

**Review? :) Luv ya!**


	9. Chapter 9

**I'm so happy with how this story has been received! Thanks for all the new followers and ****favorites, as well as the reviewers, which are** Jules, MonkeysGoBoo, Pantherbabe4ever, Dragon and mrskaz453. **Thank you all! This chapter is when season four starts, but it won't go exactly to season four storyline, just letting ya know! Now, on with the story!**

* * *

Lucy found her way walking down the prison halls after she had woken up. Ever since she had come to the prison, she had honestly hated getting up early. She knew she had mentioned to Daryl that she was an early bird, but now that she actually had some time to sleep in, she wanted to use it, but thanks to her shitty body system, she was always up early.

Her eyes travel down the hallway and out into the field near the back where there was a garden. She leans against the doorframe and sees Rick tending to some of the plants out there. Daryl had told her about what the group had been through before all the people from Woodbury had come. Who the Governor was and what had happened to Rick. To be honest, she was sorry that he lost his wife. That must have sucked.

But she knew that doing this was better than acting all crazy like he was before. She was glad Daryl didn't find her and Sam during that time, or else she most likely would have been turned away.

She continues walking down the halls, knowing that when he was farming he was usually alone or with his son. Or Hershel. She knew that they had been on a farm for a small while, but it had been burned down. That sucks. When she was younger, all she wanted to do was live in a nice house with a lot of field, so she could just run around and play. Now she didn't really have that option anymore.

Not even knowing what she was doing, just roaming around, she turns a corner and makes her way back to her cell. Along the way she thinks back to the group. It had been two months since she got here now. One month since she had told Daryl about what happened to her. When they had gotten back, she made him swear not to tell anyone about it, and so far he's kept his word. She had only told one other person about that, and that had been Maggie.

Maggie and Beth had become the sisters that Lucy had always wanted. Don't get her wrong, Quinn will always have that special place in her heart, that no one could ever replace. She was still praying, though how ridiculous it may seem, that she would see her again. But Maggie and Beth were the two people she got along with the most here, or with who she could be seen with.

On days where Lucy had work outside, she was usually with Maggie, whether it was one the fences or helping with the food. Sometimes they had watch together at night, and personally, those were the times that Lucy had been enjoying the most: Actual girl time.

She had found out that Maggie was only twenty four, just two years above her. Most of the time they talked about life before the world turned, how they had survived, their family. Lucy had found out more about the group from her. She had even heard a few funny stories about Glenn.

When she had told her about the rape, Maggie had been shocked. She couldn't believe who would do something like that, but sooner or later they were back on fun topics. Lucy really didn't like to get into that territory that much, but she trusted Maggie to not tell anyone.

She had developed remote friendships with mostly everyone in the prison, always making sure of what she needed to do and how she needed to do it. Beth was close to her, and Lucy would go on and on to her about college and how great it had been, but Lucy had also been helping her with Judith, Rick's little daughter. She had to admit, the little kid was cute, and she sort of felt bad for Beth that she was the one taking care of her when Rick really should have.

She didn't know the full story, but even from looking at Beth you knew she was young, just like when you looked at Lucy you knew she was young. Beth was nineteen and taking care of a kid. When Lucy was her age she was doing the same thing, and she really didn't want another person to have to go through that. But she guessed desperate times called for desperate measures.

As for the others in the prison, a few stood out to her. Hershel was one. Lucy had never had a father figure in her life that she could really look up to. Hershel may be older than most, but he was really nice to be around, and had actually taught her a few things about medicine and plants, since she had never been around that sort of area that she could learn it. For a man with only one leg, he was very optimistic.

Most of the people in the prison were nice at least, so she didn't have any trouble with that many people. Of course, there was one person she didn't like, but she was too nice to show her dislike, so she just acted like she did like her so she wouldn't get fucked over in the long run.

She finally makes her way back to her cell and sits at the crappy desk, taking out the notebook she had. Opening up the pages, she glances inside, and when she sees what had been drawn in there she nearly laughs. Somehow Sam had found the notebook and drawn some pictures inside. One of them was some sort of lion, or any kind of cat. Lucy just knew it was something like that because of the long tail she gave it.

How the hell did she find it? Lucy knew she had hidden it carefully so Sam wouldn't be able to reach. Someone must have helped her.

She rolls her eyes and places the book back into the drawer it came from. She would find out later. Sam had woken up before her this morning, and she could only guess she was outside in the nice air eating. Lucy was starting to feel a bit hungry as well.

"Morning."

Lucy's head snaps up to meet Marcus's eyes and she sighs. She didn't like him that much, but she tolerated him, even after what he did. When her and Daryl came back, she told him not to do anything to Marcus. She didn't want him to start any more drama. But she knew that Daryl did not hide his dislike on him like she did. When he had tried to hit on her once more, probably about a week after going out into the forest, he backed off when Daryl sent him the biggest death glare she had ever seen on anyone.

Well, actually, only one person could beat him in death glares, and that was Quinn. They would have gotten along so well.

"Good morning, Marcus," she replies sweetly, looking back down to the desk. She places one of her knives in her belt and stands up from the chair, leaning against the wall a bit. "Shouldn't you be eating? I heard that breakfast was good." He shrugs.

"I haven't been that hungry this week, eating not that much, but I'd rather talk to you," he smiles. Lucy sighs tiredly, gently pinching the bridge of her nose between her forefinger and her thumb.

"Marcus, we have been over this so many fucking times. I don't like you like that," she laughs a bit. He rolls his eyes.

"I think you're just playing hard to get," he replies. She shakes her head, an eyebrow raised.

"No, no I'm not. I'm honestly telling you I do not want to do anything of the sort with you." Marcus steps forward a bit into her cell. Lucy glances around him. Well shit, his body was blocking the doorway. She needed a way out fast.

"Come on, Lucy," he purrs, his hand reaching out to touch her cheek. Her hand reaches for her hidden knife in her belt. _If he takes one more step closer he's saying goodbye to that hand _she thinks angrily. "Everyone needs that little bit of stress relief. We can be that."

"I really don't want to be yours." His eyes darken just a bit.

"Lucy-"

"Ya better step out of that cell if ya plan to keep that hand," Lucy hears from outside the doorway. Marcus turns around abruptly. He thought everyone was outside by now. Lucy spares a glance at her savior and was not surprised to see Daryl there, leaning against the staircase railing outside, his arms crossed and a hard glare set on Marcus.

Marcus backs away from Lucy as if nothing happens and smiles at Daryl. "Aint nothin' going on here, Daryl. Just talking."

"Just talkin'?" he mimics, looking to Lucy. She shakes her head in exasperation, telling him to not make a big deal out of it. He nods his head towards the door that led outside. "Right. Get goin' before I punch ya." Marcus nods quickly.

"Yes, sir," he says, rushing out of the cell. Daryl keeps his eyes on him until his body disappears through the door into the multitude of people outside. He turns back to Lucy and sees she had her knife in her hand.

"Shoulda used that," he says, gesturing to the small weapon. She shrugs.

"I was gonna if he touched me. You got here literally right before he could." He nods, stepping a bit into the cell. In the small light he could see her brown hair was done up in a high ponytail, but some pieces had fallen out due to the Marcus situation.

"Are ya okay?" he asks quietly. She nods her head.

"Fine," she replies. "Just pissed that he still hasn't gotten the message."

"Don't think he ever will," Daryl mumbles, glancing back outside. She walks up to him and smiles a bit.

"Have you at least eaten today?" He shakes his head, turning back to her. Her brow furrows. "Why not?"

"Cause I saw Marcus in here," he replies simply. She rolls her eyes. Of course she interrupted his eating time.

"Then get going and eat! I'll be there in a second," she exclaims, heading over to her desk to find a better place to hide her notebook. He raises an eyebrow.

"Ya really think I'm gonna leave ya here after what Marcus just tried to do?" he retaliates. She rolls her eyes.

"I got in the way for breakfast. I still gotta find a better place to hide this notebook."

"Hide the notebook?" he asks. She turns around and nods.

"Yeah, Sam somehow found the notebook and-" Her words stop mid-sentence when she sees the smirk on his face form. Her eyes narrow, and then she gasps. "You asshole!" she laughs. "You showed her where it was! I told you a while ago that I didn't want her to touch it!" He shrugs.

"She wanted somethin' to draw in." She glares at him.

"Cover your eyes."

"What?" he asks confused.

"Cover...your eyes," she grits out through clenched teeth. "I don't need you giving away another hiding spot to Sam." He rolls his eyes, closing them a moment after. She smiles approvingly, turning to her bed and placing it quietly underneath it.

"This is stupid," she hears him mumble. Getting up from the floor, she walks over and slaps the back of his head. He flinches at her touch and backs away slightly. "The hell was that for?"

"For telling Sam!" She turns around swiftly and heads out of the cell. He follows close behind after recovering from the initial shock of getting slapped. "I told you not to tell," she grumbles out again. "You said you wouldn't."

"I didn't tell her. I just gave it to her." She rolls her eyes.

"Same thing," she mumbles. "That breakfast better be good or else I'm coming for you." She hears him chuckle and she smiles a bit, going out into the bright light of the morning. Almost immediately Daryl's met with a bunch of 'good morning's,' and 'hellos,' while Lucy stays behind, a small smirk on her face. She knew Daryl was uncomfortable with all the people being nice to him, but she decided this was as good of a punishment to him as anything was.

As he makes his way up to the main table he takes a look back at Lucy to see her smirk. "Yer enjoyin' this!" he whispers fiercely at her. She nods her head.

"And loving every single second of it." She sees the glare he sends, but her smirk was still on her face. He turns back and shakes his head.

"Minx," he mutters. Lucy keeps her mouth shut.

As they get up there, Lucy falls into step with Daryl when they reach the food. Carol was up there serving. Lucy looks away as they talk, trying to look interested for the time being but when she says 'I liked you first,' she decides to let it go and look away. Her and Carol weren't really on great terms as of late, ever since that night in the showers. Either or, Lucy had turned the other cheek and stayed nice.

The two would talk on occasion, but it wasn't anything usually important. Just the occasional 'good morning,' 'how are you,' and 'you have to do this.' Lucy had yet to tell Daryl exactly her feelings about the gray-haired woman, but she didn't really plan to. Yet again, she didn't want to cause any more drama then there already was in the prison with her stupid little problems.

She was leaning against the table underneath the canopy, watching Sam from afar. She was eating her breakfast slowly while she sat next to Carl. That kid sort of irked her a bit. It was obvious he had been through a lot, and he had been the first one to deny her and Sam's entry. He wasn't like other kids his age, had more of a tough attitude. He was probably very different then how he was before, so she could sort of understand why he was so brash on Daryl bringing them back.

But you could bet that if Sam was his age, she would not end up like him.

At least right now he seemed ok. Maybe that was just because Sam was sitting next to him. She had seen the two talk a few times, and he seemed nice to her. Then again, almost everyone was nice to Sam. She was just that sweet that you couldn't be mean.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt a bowl of something being placed in her hands. She looks at it interested for a second before realizing Daryl had placed it in her hands. She smiles up at him.

"Thanks." He nods in response, turning back to Carol for a second. She doesn't miss the small jealous glance that Carol sends her as she smiles up at Daryl, but she was too much in a good mood to really care.

After he's done he nudges her shoulder and nods over to a table near Sam. Lucy follows him, taking a spoonful of whatever was in there. It was actually pretty good. As they take a seat across from each other Lucy glances behind him to see Carol sending another jealous glance over at them, so she looks down at her food, taking another spoonful.

"What were you and Carol talking about?" He looks up from his food and raises an eyebrow.

"Ya were standing right there." She shrugs.

"I zoned out." He snorts a bit, but goes on talking anyway.

"Few problems with the fences, but nothing we can't fix. Really nothing that important." He takes another spoonful and looks up at her through narrowed eyes. "I don't see ya talk to her that often. Got somethin' against her?" Lucy shrugs, trying to hide her discomfort.

"Eh, I just don't talk to her that much. There are other people I get along better with. Example: You," she expertly avoids. He rolls his eyes and glances back down to the food a bit uncomfortably. She knew he was always awkward when she complimented him, but he knew even if he told her to stop she would still keep going.

"Whatever, Lucy," he mumbles. She smiles a bit and takes another spoonful of food. "Goin' on a run today. Need anything?" She stops short and stares at him.

"You're going on a run?" she questions. "I told you last time I wanted to come the next time you went on one! You're just leaving me again?!" He sighs.

"Lucy, this place is-"

"Dangerous? Full of walkers? Infectious?" she ends for him. "Daryl, you can't protect me from everything. I'll be fine. I'm going whether you like it or not." She takes another spoon of food, knowing he lost this battle. She looks up and sees him looking aggravated at the table. She pouts mockingly. "Did Mr. Daryl not get what he wants? Well too-fucking-bad," she laughs.

"I hate ya," he mutters. She snorts, rolling her eyes.

"Please. I know you love me," she chuckles. His head snaps up in surprise at this statement and she smirks. "I'm too annoying to hate anyway." He snorts.

"Got that right." She sends him a playful glare, but returns to eating her food a moment later. All of a sudden Sam's voice is heard through the air.

"Mommy!" she yells, rushing over. Lucy glances behind her just in time to see Sam launch herself onto the seat next to her, nearly knocking her whole entire bowl onto Lucy's lap. Thanks to her reflexes, Lucy caught it before all could spill, but a little bit of the contents had found its way onto the top of her shirt. Sam looks guiltily at it. "Sorry," she mumbles.

Lucy could hear Daryl snickering at the sight, but she ignores the voice telling her to slap him and shakes her head, taking a napkin and wiping some of it away. "It's fine, honey. What did you need me for?" She hands Lucy a piece of paper and Lucy sees that it was a list of some sort. "What's this?"

"I need this stuff from the store. I heard you and Mr. Daryl talking about going there. You are going, right?" she asks softly. Lucy looks over at Daryl for confirmation, and at seeing that even the four year old wanted her mother to go, he sighs and nods.

"Yeah, she's going," he replies tiredly. Lucy smiles. Thank God for little kids.

~%~

When they had gotten to the store, Lucy was really hot. There was sweat dripping down her head as she attempted to tie her hair up in another high ponytail, but since she literally had so much fucking hair, a few pieces would always be slipping out and covering her face. She huffs for probably the thirteenth time as she finished another attempt of getting her hair up, but another piece of hair falls in front of her face.

And since she was also close to Daryl, who had said 'Ya stick to my side like glue,' he was getting annoyed with the constant moving of her arms going up to her head. Even now when they had found their way into the store she was trying to fix it.

When she reaches up to re-do it, Daryl finally snaps and his free hand reaches out and grabs the hairband from her hand. She jumps back in surprise, then glares up at him, reaching her hand out to take it back. "Give it!"

"Turn around," he replies. Her brow furrows.

"What?" He gestures his hand in a turn around motion.

"Turn around," he repeats. Wondering what on earth he could be doing, she turns around curiously. She practically freezes in any movements she could muster when she felt his hands in her hair, pulling all the strands to the top of her head in a single gathering. He takes the hairband and places it in the hair, tying it around simply so that no pieces of hair could escape.

When he was done, he steps back a bit awkwardly as her hands go flying up to the tight high ponytail he had done for her. No hairs sticking out. She turns around and smiles at him.

"Thank you," she says softly to him. She wasn't expecting that to happen. He nods a bit, still looking away. He hadn't meant for that to be weird, it was just getting increasingly annoying that she kept doing that. She didn't even look that bad with the hair hanging out out. Apparently she thought differently.

She turns away and takes a look at the list Sam had given her. It was very sloppily written, as the little girl was just learning to write, but thanks to Lucy's mommy vision as she called it, she was able to read anything her daughter could or would write. She nearly snorts when she sees crayons on there.

"I aint just getting her that, that's for sure," she mumbles, heading over to get her a notebook to draw in as well. There was no way she was letting her get her hands on that notebook again.

"Hey!" Daryl says, stopping her from going to the next aisle. She looks up, an eyebrow quirked, waiting for him to talk. "I told ya to stay near me." She rolls her eyes.

"Daryl, I'm just gonna be in the next row over," she rationalizes. Turning back, she walks into the aisle and sighs quietly. She wasn't surprised he was this protective over her. The last time she had gone out on a run she had nearly gotten bitten from one of those creatures. Her knife had ended up in its head, but she had been struggling a lot. Now this was the first time she had been on one since then, and apparently she was too dumb to not go off on her own.

This wasn't the first time he had said stuff like that. Since they had gone off, she had seen an increase in protection from him, mainly directed towards her and Sam. Whenever she went out on a raid, he was always near her. She liked the feeling of being safe, but sometimes it was a little too much. She may be young, but she wasn't stupid like other people.

She stops when she sees an entire set of crayons, one of those huge 64 pack sets, and smiles. That was perfect for Sammy. She steps forward and grabs the cleanest one, which didn't have any dust or dirt on it. Placing it in her bag, she goes to go farther down the aisle when she hears a multitude of bottles break and fall to the floor. She jumps in her spot, looking around to see who that was, but was startled when she feels debris fall from the roof.

And then a walker falls through.

She nearly screams when it stumbles towards her, its grimy hands reaching out to grab at any part of her body. Her hands fly to her knife and stabs it in the head within seconds. It falls to the ground in a tumble, but as more and more walkers fell through the celling, Lucy knew that she would be fucked if she didn't get out of that area as fast as she could.

She runs quickly through the aisle, dodging the monsters as they fell and stumbled up, once even sliding underneath one of their legs so she could get through. Back in college the one thing she used to do besides dance was play soccer, and she was pretty fucking fast. When she reaches the end, another one of 'em goes for her, but she quickly stabs it.

Daryl finally grabs her arm and pulls her away from all of the walkers clamoring towards her. "Who the fuck did that?" she yells at him. He brings her to the top of some mountain of supplies in the middle of the store so they had some elevation above the creatures.

"Don't know," he gets out before shooting off his gun. Lucy places her knife away and takes out her pistol, reloading it super quickly and firing away. Daryl made sure to keep an eye on her from the side, and was really surprised at the amount of head shots she got. "How the hell are ya tha' good with tha' thing?" he yells over the struggle.

"Lots and lots of GTA playing," she replies back, shooting another one of them in the head, it's blood spraying onto the shelves as it falls. Finally a path was cleared, and just in time, as someone was screaming for help. It sounded like Bob, someone Lucy was actually ok with. He was smart when it came to injuries. She scrambled off of the mountain, shooting another walker in the forehead, and runs over. Daryl follows close behind.

When she reaches him, he was trapped underneath some sort of shelving that had toppled over onto him. Her and Daryl reach to bring it up to get him out, but it was way too heavy. "We need more help over here!" she yells.

Another person rushes forward, and Lucy sees it was Zach. Zach was one of those people from the Governors old place, at least as much as she knew. He was also dating Beth, something she didn't necessarily like, since Beth was like a little sister to her now, but he didn't seem like a dick like most guys were these days. He lays his hands on the shelf and pushes it up, and not a moment later Bob was free.

He scrambles up as the shelf becomes too heavy to carry, and as a walker finds it's way through the crack, but as Lucy steps back to kill it, it had already bitten Zach's ankle. He yells and tries to break away but it was too late, and the shelf collapsed, as did he. Lucy stares in horror at the scene. Jesus, how would Beth react to this?

Her thoughts were broken when she is pushed towards the doors of the store by Daryl. She tries to speak to say she needed to help, but when he yelled "Get the fuck out of here!" she knew she had to go before she pissed him off.

She races towards the doors and gets out, and not moments later she hears a couple of gunshots, one probably for Zach, others for the walkers. She waits anxiously outside as she sees the old helicopter on the roof begin to cave in, and just as it falls through the group stumbles out.

She doesn't even have a second to look at the damage before she's grabbed by Daryl and taken back to the car. At least she got the crayons.

~%~

Lucy later sat in her cell quietly as she combed through Sam's tangled hair. Sam's fingers were wrapped around one of the crayons, drawing happily on a new notebook. Lucy was really confused as to where she got that notebook, because she didn't have time to get one before all the walkers came, only the crayons. But whatever so, she was enjoying the new notebook, and drawing whatever she pleases.

The brush was getting through the hair slowly while Lucy kept thinking back to the store. Daryl was the one to tell Beth about Zach, and she was wondering how she was taking it.

"Mommy, is this pretty?" Sam asks, showing the notebook to her mother. Lucy takes the small book from her hands and glances at the picture. It was a simple flower, but it was actually really good for a four year old. Lucy smiles.

"Yeah, it is," she replies. She looks to another picture and her brow furrows. It was three people, two grown ups and one kid. She could tell that the little kid was Sam, and that one of the grown ups was her, but the other person was a mystery. It was a man, she knew that, but she didn't know exactly who. Lucy and him were holding hands. An eyebrow raises.

She shows the picture to Sam. "And who is this?" she chuckles to her daughter. Sam looks up and quickly takes the notebook from her mothers hands, shutting it closed.

"Nobody," she says quickly, looking down at the bed. Lucy smiles a bit, taking the brush back into her hands.

"Do you think I'm with someone, Sam?" she chuckles. Sam shrugs. "Can you at least give me a hint to who it is?"

"He cares about us a lot," she replies. Lucy stops brushing her hair and thinks for a second. No, did she think Daryl and her were together? She knew she liked him, maybe a little too much for someone in this world, but...did it really look like they were together?

When she was about to reply, she hears a knock at the door and she looks up, Sam's head bobbing up as well. Daryl was standing at the entrance, his arms crossed. Sam smiles at him.

"Hi, Mr. Daryl," she says happily. He gives her a half smile.

"Hey kid," he replies. He looks to Lucy and nods at her. "Hey."

"Hey," Lucy says, standing up from her spot on the bed. "Did you tell her?" He nods, gesturing his head outside the cell so Sam wouldn't hear. She nods, following him out. Sam goes back to drawing as her mother goes outside to talk to Daryl. Lucy leans against the prison wall. "So? How was it?"

"Fine," he replies a bit surprised. Her brow furrows. "She didn't cry at all. Said she was happy she knew him and that was it." Lucy rubs her arms a bit at that. Apparently Beth had a little bit of coldness in her as well if she didn't cry about her boyfriend being bitten.

"I'll talk to her tomorrow. I'm too tired for this shit." She looks up at him and smiles. "Are you good?" He shrugs.

"Tired," he says, much like her. She nods.

"Yeah," she whispers sadly. "Hey, do you know where she got that notebook from? I didn't have time to get her one because of all the walkers."

"I got it," he replies. Her brow raises.

"You did?" she asks surprised. He nods. "Why?"

"Was on the list," he mumbles. She smiles softly.

"You know, you don't need to take care of us. I feel like all we are is a hassle to you," she chuckles. "I'm a big girl. I can handle all of this."

He shrugs a bit, knowing she was right. He knew very fucking well that she could handle herself, especially with that sharp shooting she showed off in the store, but he was so far deep in this shit that he knew if she actually _was _to get hurt, he'd just blame himself for not protecting her.

"Ya aint a hassle," he replies quietly. "That's for sure. Just...don't want ya and Sam gettin' into trouble. Already been through enough." She smiles brightly at that. She had never heard that come from anyone. She leans up and pecks his cheek hesitantly, showing a little sign of affection for the worry, and when she leans back she sees the top of his cheeks turn a crimson red.

"Thank you, Daryl," she says. "Really. It means a lot. And that notebook for her really made her happy." She yawns a bit and chuckles. "I gotta get to sleep before I pass out." She turns to go back into the cell but smiles at him one last time. "Goodnight, Daryl," she says, walking back.

"Night, Lucy," he states softly, still in shock over the small kiss. She closes the curtain that acted as a door as she walks inside. He glances a bit at the curtain before walking away quietly, heading back to his place. Oh, he was in trouble now.

~%~

**Review? :) I luv all ya! **

**just to let you people know, I'm heading to a two week college program upstate for two weeks, and it's like a real legit thing, so its gonna be hard to update my stories. I'm ****still trying to work on my other one's chapter but writers block bro. XD I'll still get 'em done though. **


	10. Chapter 10

**Thank you very much to the reviewers **RebornRose1992, Dragon, Iluvolympus, Kima Woldwood and jeanf. **You're reviews always mean so much! And thanks to the followers and favorites! **

**I'm going to be changing the storyline a little, but that's only because I don't want to do the same shit the show did in the same order and everything like that. Now on with the story!**

* * *

Sam couldn't sleep.

When her eyes had opened early that morning, she couldn't get them to close. Nightmares of the monsters all around her had haunted her dreams again, and even though she wanted to be strong and forget about them, every time she closed her eyes she would just see them dangling over herm wanting to take a bite out of her skin.

She had seem those kinds of monsters before, in a movie her and mommy had watched a long time ago, but she never thought that they would become real, and be as scary as they were today. She didn't like how they had to live now, how they had to hunt for food, or how they had to learn how to use a weapon. She didn't like knives, or the sound that guns made. It hurt her ears.

When she realized there was no way she would be getting back to sleep, her little feet had found its way down the ladder of the bunk bed her and mama shared and went outside to watch the sun rise. She didn't know how early it was, but it was early enough to see that the sun hadn't risen above the trees yet.

She sat on the pavement near the opening doors, a little bit away. No one was up this early. Her arms were wrapped around her legs as she held them close to her chest. Her head rested on her knees in boredom and tiredness. She wished she could do something, or at least get back to sleep. She hated waking up early.

The sound of a door opening caught her eye, her head turning over to see who was also up at this hour. As the hinges squeaked she saw a man step out with a weapon and her head tilted. The sun still hadnt completely risen, so darkness was still a bit spread over the land the prison was on. She got up fom her spot to look a bit closer, trying to see exactly what the weapon the man had in his hands was. When she finally recognized it to be a crossbow, she smiles.

"Mr. Daryl!" she yells to the him. He jumps at the sudden voice and turns to where it came from, only to find that Sam was running at him full speed. He sighs, running his hand across face angrily before turning to her. He nearly scared the shit out of him.

"What'd I say about scarin' people, Sam?" he asks annoyed.

"Sorry," she mumbles. "I didn't want to scare you. I can't sleep." His brow furrows.

"That's why yer up?" he asks. She nods, shuffling her feet.

"I kept having nightmares," she whispers. "All the monsters coming close to me. I wish I wasn't a wimp." He sees the small fear in her eyes and feels the anger disappear within him. He couldn't blame the kid. He had defiantly gotten used to the rotten look the walkers had, but some of 'em looked like they had walked straight out of 'Night of the Living Dead.' She was only four, after all.

He sighs at her sullen look and leans down to her height. She was looking down at the ground in shame. "Hey, c'mon, look here," he says softly. He places his hand on her chin and tilts her head up so she would look at him. He sees that some tears had fallen from her eyes and mentally punches himself. _Ah shit, did I really look that mad? _he thinks to himself. "Sammy-"

"I wish I was brave like you and mommy. I don't like being afraid," she cries silently. He places his hands on her shoulders in a comforting gesture, trying to get her to calm down.

"Sammy, ya are brave," he states, causing her to take a deep, shaky breath and look at him. "Yer one of the bravest little kids I have ever met in my life. Ya and yer mama. Both of ya are so brave it surprises me, especially after everything that's happened to both of ya. So don't you dare think that ya are a wimp. I would never let anythin' happen to ya and Lucy anyway." He wipes some of the tears from her face. "And stop cryin'. Don't look good on ya."

Her small smile returns to her face and she throws her arms around his neck in a tight hug. He was surprised to say the least, and a bit awkwardly places his arms around her. After a moment though, his grip tightens around her. It felt almost...natural to hold the little girl like this.

"Thank you, Mr. Daryl," she says happily. He didn't really know how to reply to the girls thanks, so he simply nodded, keeping his mouth shut. A minute later Sam pulls back and smiles at him. "Can you teach me how to shoot a gun?"

His eyebrows raise at the question. "Ya don't know how?" he asks. She shakes her head.

"Mommy says that they make too much noise, so she taught me about knives and how to use them. How to throw them. But I see a lot of people use guns and I want to learn how to use them." Daryl turns away for a second. This was a four year old kid wanting to learn how to use a gun.

"I think ya should ask yer mama first," he replies. She sighs sadly, but nods.

"Why are you up?" she asks.

"I had to go on watch. Gotta get up early to do that." Her head tilts.

"Aren't you tired?" she continues. He chuckles at the question.

"Course I am. Gotta sacrifice a bit to keep this place away from the monsters, right?" She nods, her mouth opening up to reply. But when a shrill scream echos throughout the prison, her smile is gone in the blink of an eye and a frown appears. He places her away from him worriedly and turns towards the the tall building. "Stay by my side, Sam. Don't run off." Sam quickly nods as he runs back to the prison, Sammy right behind him.

When they get inside, Sam nearly screams just as the others had been doing. In fact, most of them were still screaming. There were walkers all around this place, not as many as outside, but enough that she clenched onto the side of the doorway in fear. All of them were on the other side of the room, but were vastly approaching. Bullets flew and arrows soared.

"Mr. Daryl," she whimpers, her arms still clinging onto the doorway.

"Stay there," he commands, running off to go and kill the creatures. She doesn't even think twice about keeping her arms attacked to the doorway, far away from the walkers on the other side. She was trying hard not to cry as some of them clamored towards other little kids her age, but before they could touch them something went through there heads to kill them.

But she finally hears the scream she didn't want to hear, and then the struggle. "MOMMY!" she yells, her head looking for her mother. Daryl hears the little girls voice screaming and frantically looks around for Lucy's cell. In all the panic, he sees her trying to stab a walker that was maybe twice her size in weight. His arm didn't even hesitate in pulling the trigger on his crossbow, sending another bolt into the creatures head. It falls down to the ground in a tumble, while Lucy stared down at the creature in horror.

Daryl rushes over to her and quickly checks her over. She wasn't moving. "Lucy...Lucy are ya there with me?" he asks. His hands cup her face and she finally makes eye contact with him.

"He almost got me, Daryl," she gets out, her body shaking. "He almost got me." Daryl sees just how much of an impact that was making on her. Not even thinking about who might see, he takes the young woman in his arms as she breaks down. Her own arms sling around his waist, pulling him closer to her. She was crying into his shoulder. His hand was rubbing her back in a slow, circular rhythm.

"Yer fine, Lucy. Sam is fine, and ya are fine. Aint nothin' to be scared about," he murmurs softly into her hair. After a moment her cries settled down, and she stepped back to look around.

"Where's Sam?" she questions scared. "Sam!" she yells. Not a moment later the girl rushes through the cells door, her arms wrapping around her ankles. She was crying again.

"Mommy," she cries. Lucy lets go of Daryl to wrap her arms around Sam to calm her down.

"It's ok. I'm ok. Daryl saved me, see? No bites, no scratches." Sam wipes her nose on her arm and looks up at Daryl with a small frown, her eyes still watery and red.

"You did?" she asks quietly. He nods.

"I told ya nothin' would happen," he replies softly, knowing the girl was in a very fragile state right now. She sniffs, nodding her head and turning back to Lucy.

"I thought you were dead," she mumbles. Lucy holds her tighter.

"I'm not, honey. I'm not gonna be."

"OH MY GOD!"

The scream echoes throughout the prison and Sam's grip on Lucy's tightens. "No more," she cries into Lucy's shoulder a bit. Lucy sighs, placing Sam down on the bed.

"Daryl!" she hears Rick yell. Daryl looks to Lucy and Sam, the little girl still crying. Lucy looks up and nods towards the door.

"Go, they need you." Daryl nods and runs off to where Rick had ran while Lucy cradled Sam in her arms. She was crying hard. "Shh, it's ok sweetie. Eveyrthing will be alright. No one's going to hurt you. I'm ok and so are you." She hears a distant baby crying and knew that was Judith. All the commotion must have woken her up.

"Sing," Sam cries. Lucy sighs, thinking of a song that could get her to calm down. The movie 'Dumbo' came to mind.

"_Baby mine, don't you cry. Baby mine, dry your eyes. Rest your head close to my heart, never to part, baby of mine." _She feels Sam go slack on her chest and Lucy sighs. She had finally passed out from all the shock. Her four year old just witnessed all of this. She could only guess what the little girl had been feeling.

She lays Sam down on the bed and covers her with a blanket, hoping that she would stay asleep and let all the troubles disappear. She gets up from the ground and walks outside the cell quietly. When she closes the curtain, she turns around to see that some people were staring down the hall, while some were crying. A few had their hands on their mouths, trying to conceal the gasps they wanted to so desperately let out.

Lucy's brow furrows as she walks towards the hallway where Daryl and Rick had gone. Before she could turn a corner, someones hand reaches out to stop her. She looks up at the person and sees it was Maggie. She shakes her head.

"You don't want to go down there," she says softly. Lucy removes her hand.

"I want to see what's going on." She continues to walk, but Maggie was relentless.

"Lucy, really, you don't want to see-" She stops talking and catches up to her, the pads of her feet sounding off the walls of the prison. "Lucy you're not going to like it."

"Maggie, I've seen enough shit in this world. I'll be fine." When she turns the final corner, she sees all the people, including Daryl, staring at something on the ground that she couldn't see. Some in misery, some ion anger, and a few in shock. Lucy walks up to Daryl and lays a hand on his shoulder.

"What's going on?" she asks quietly. He doesn't reply. She turns her head and sees exactly what they were staring at, and Lucy's hand goes to her mouth in shock and disgust as she looks at it.

It was a woman from the prison. Her name was Nicki, and her and Lucy had actually been getting close, talking during dinner and sharing pasts. Nicki has actually told her about her boyfriend, Paul, and how he was going to propose. He lived inside the prison as well. He was staring at her, no expression read on his sullen face.

She was torn to pieces. Her blood was dripping from the limbs that had been ripped from her body. Her head was taken off, laying next to her body. Arms and legs were shaken off. Lucy felt like she was going to throw up. She backed up away from the dead woman, one of the few people in here that she had gotten along with. Her head began to feel dizzy.

"Who did this?" her boyfriend asks. She could hear the anger in his voice. "WHO THE FUCK DID THIS?"

"I don't know," Hershel states, staring sadly at the murdered woman. "But we know one thing. There's a killer in the prison." Lucy could feel the blood draining from her face. Everything started to turn foggy.

"Lucy?" she hears Maggie states softly, coming to her side. "Are you ok?" At those words, Daryl turns around from the bloody scene in front of him to see all the color in her face gone. He comes forward to stop from anything and happening, but as soon as he took one step, he was too late.

Her mind fogs over, and everything sinks into blackness as she falls to the ground. All she heard was the panicked shouts of the people around her.

~%~

Tensions were rising. It hadn't even been two hours yet and people were yelling, the prison group at the Woodbury people, and vice versa. Daryl was surprised Sam was still sleeping with all the commotion happening around the place. He was actually really thankful that she was still asleep, because if she was awake he didn't know how to handle the panic attack that the little girl would have over seeing her mother passed out in bed.

But for once, Daryl wasn't in the line of fire of all the yelling. After Lucy had passed out, he brought her to a room that actually had a working door so that no one would disturb what Hershel was doing. Daryl honestly didn't understand why she had fainted. He'd seen her eat daily. There was no way she had given her food to Sam. Was it the fact that Nicki was killed? He didn't even think they were that close that she would faint.

She laid in the bed, her eyes closed in a bow peaceful slumber while Hershel and Beth tended to what had made her faint, as well as the small bump on her head that had developed from when she hit the ground. Daryl stayed near the door, making sure no one came in. His arms were crossed and he was staring at the ground angrily.

"What could have made her faint like this?" Beth asks quietly, wiping away at the small trickle of blood that was making it's way steadily down Lucy's forehead. Hershel sighs for a second, shaking his head. He was seeing more and more people like this now a days in this world.

"I know exactly why," he mumbles, rubbing his face at the stress that was clearly visible. Beth looks at him with a questioning face. "She was poisoned."

Daryl's face snaps up at this statement. "What?!" he growls out. "Who the fuck would poison her?!"

"Daryl, the yelling isn't going to help this situation." Daryl steps back a bit, his anger not diminishing in the slightest, but even he knew the old man was right. He sighs, his eyes closing reluctantly, and takes a deep breath.

"How do ya know?" he asks more calmly, sitting down in a chair near the bed. Beth nods as well. Lucy was her friend, and even she wanted to know who did this.

"The IV traced a specific poison called Botulinum Toxin that was running in her blood. So whoever did this to her didn't just want her sick, they wanted her dead." Daryl feels his hands clench at the thought. He was trying so hard not to explode at this.

"How does it kill?" Beth asks.

"It paralyzes the muscles and eventually the reparatory system. It's meant to kill very slowly, usually a few days or more, but with everything that's happened today it speed up the reaction of the poison and traveled through her stream faster. Then with Nicki being killed it just added onto it. It's a very good thing she fainted in front of us. If she hadn't, ten minutes later she would have been dead."

"Is it all gone from her blood now?" Beth asks worriedly. Hershel nods.

"We've gotten it out, so she's safe for now." Beth sighs.

"So we have some sort of sickness roaming around the prison, a murderer tearing people apart, and someone who wants to kill Lucy." Hershel nods sadly.

"That's basically the gist of it," he replies. Hershel looks to Daryl to see what his reaction to all of this, but only finds him staring at the ground. He was either thinking hard about this, or really, _really _angry. Hershel nods to his youngest daughter. "Beth, go tell the people out there the story. I gotta talk to Daryl." Beth nods, a bit knowingly. She had a feeling Lucy and Daryl were really close. She gets up from her seat and goes outside the room, closing the door behind her. Hershel turns to Daryl. "Daryl?"

"Is she gonna be alright?" he replies softly, finally looking up at the old man. Hershel nods.

"She's gonna be passed out for a little while, maybe a couple of hours, but she'll be fine." Daryl nods, swallowing a bit while staring at Lucy's still body. "Daryl, are you and her together?" Daryl turns back to him, his brow furrows.

"No, we aint...together," he says, sort of thinking exactly what they were. "We're just...friends." Hershel nods, but even Daryl knew he thought differently about their relationship.

"Ok," Hershel states, standing up from his seat and heading over to the door. "I'm going to head out to see this sickness that's spreading. When Sam wakes up, and you know she will, you be the one to tell her what happened to Lucy."

"Why me?" Daryl snaps at him, but Hershel shows no signs of being affected. "Her kid aint my problem." Even he knew those words were bullshit.

"That kid trusts you a lot more than most of the other people in this place," Hershel acknowledges. "And I know that she would understand the news better from you then she would from anyone else." Daryl thinks for a second before nodding, looking back to Lucy. "You can't stay here forever, Daryl."

"I know that," he snaps again. "Just...give me a few minutes. Please," he forces out. Hershel nods, heading outside. When the door closes, Daryl lets out the long awaited sigh and places his head in his hands. This was exactly what he had been worrying about. Not wanting to care if this happened to someone or not, but with Lucy, it was so real. He felt like shit right now.

He hadn't even noticed the other scream that had ensued from the other side of the prison. All his attention was on Lucy. The only thing that made him worry less was the steady breathing and the movement of her chest going up and down. A few stray pieces of dark brown hair lay on her face, and Daryl gently brushes them to the side.

He needed to murder the person who did this. He needed to kill the person who murdered Nicki, and then torture the person who poisoned her. That was the only way possible right now.

He hears the door open and his head glances backwards to see Carol closing it. He turns back to Lucy and sighs. "Hey," she says.

"Hey," he replies glumly.

"How's she doing?" Daryl turns around and senses a bit of nervousness in her steps what on earth did she have to be nervous for? It wasn't like she had poisoned Lucy. At least he thinks she didn't. Carol was practically nice to almost everyone here.

"She was poisoned," he states simply. "What do ya think?" Carol shrugs uncomfortably.

"Is all the poison gone?" He nods, and unbeknownst to him, her shoulders slump a bit. "Two more people were killed." His eyes narrowed.

"Who?" he grinds out.

"Karen and David. They were both sick, but they were killed. The...the person strikes fast." Those were two other people Lucy talked to. Jesus, how would she react to all of this when she woke up.

"Great, fucking great," he mutters, standing up angrily from the chair. Carol places her hand on his shoulder to calm him down, but he jerks away. He really wasn't in the mood for one of her lectures.

"Daryl, they're heading out to get medicine. They need you, now." Daryl tries to protest, but realizes that doing so would be selfish. The sickness needed to be gone, and going out to get shit would make it go away. He sighs. "Daryl, why do you care so much about her? It's not like she's one of us." Daryl glares at her.

"I care about her just as much as I care about the rest of the group. She aint just some piece of trash. and if ya can't see that, then screw you." Carol's brow furrows at the insult, and she begins to speak, but the slow opening of the door behind her stops any talking. A small shadow appears, and Daryl looks over to see a tired Sam appear.

Her hands grip onto the door. She looks up at Daryl, and then at the bed. Her eyes begin to moist up. "Mommy?" she cries softly. Carol turns to Daryl once more.

"Hurry up with this," she bites out, leaving the room and slamming the door behind her. Sam jumps at the loud sound, but shakes off her discomfort a minute later and runs over to Lucy.

"Mommy?" she repeats more forcefully. She turns to Daryl, tears running down her face. "You said nothing would happen to her!" she cries. "You said you would protect her!"

"She's not gone, Sammy," he says softly, trying to calm the sobs that were escaping her. She spots for a small second and looks up at his tall frame.

"She's not?" she whimpers. For once in his life, Daryl feels his heart break at her expression, full of pain and sorrow. This little girl did not deserve to live a life like this, worried about her mother every single minute of the day.

"No, she aint. She'll wake up. Someone tried to kill her." Sam's eyes widen at the explanation, and she looks back to Lucy, her small hand taking her mother's.

"Someone wants to kill my mommy?" she whispers. "Why?" Daryl descends next to her and gingerly places an arm around her shoulders, seeing if she was ok with it. The little girl didn't even flinch. In fact, she wrapped her small arms around him, trying to stop the cries that wanted to get through.

"I don't know," Daryl replies honestly. Lucy didn't do anything to anyone here. He didn't know who would want her gone. "She'll wake up, but until then ya stay near the Greenes, ok? Din't need ya gettin' hurt." Sam looks up with a questioning look on her face.

"Why? Where are you going? Why are you leaving again?" He sighs, placing his hands on her shoulders again for the second time that day.

"I'm not gonna be long, Sam. I just gotta pick up some medicine for the group, ok? Ya stay near those women, or Hershel. Lucy's gonna wake up soon, but ya gotta stay safe." Sam nods, her grip on him tightening ever more.

"I don't like all of this," she states quietly. "I don't like it at all." He holds her close to him, staring at the sleeping Lucy.

"Neither do I, kid. Neither do I."

~%~

**Review? :) Luv ya! **

**I'm heading out on my college program tomorrow, but like I said, I'll update as soon as I can!**


	11. Chapter 11

**FUCKING FINALLY. I know, I know, it's been super fucking long since I updated, like two weeks, but that's because this internet problem at my school is so fucking annoying. I'm heading back home tomorrow, thank God, but I wanted to get this up. This is SUPER long, so I hope it makes up for the long update-less week. **

**On another note: OMG THE FUCKING SEASON FIVE TRAILER HOLY FUCKING SHIT I JUST CAN'T MY BETH IS GETTING HER OWN STORY LINE FUCKING YEAH!**

**Sorry, needed to do that!**

**I also want to thank **Kima Wolfoowd, mrskaz453, RebornRose1992, Dragon, and most especially jeanf,** who reviewed literally all my chapters**. **You all are amazing! And thank you for the new followers and favorites! Amazing! On with the story!**

~%~

Lucy felt her head pounding. Everything was ringing all around her. She felt like she couldn't breathe the moment she opened her eyes. Her chest was heavy and her stomach squirmed as she tried to sit up on whatever her body had been laying on. All her muscles hurt, and every single time she moved her tired body would protest, trying to get her to lay down.

Through the pain, Lucy tries to focus on the door across the room, which was closed tightly. She looks around the room. Where was she? What happened? This was most definitely not her room. She glances down at her hands and then at her door again, and that's when everything came back to her.

The screaming. The walkers. Nicki.

Her head began to spin rapidly and the room started to spin. Lucy stands up from her spot and stumbles over to the trash can across the room. Just as she reaches the small oval object, her hands latch onto the sides and she hurls up whatever was in her stomach, all its contents spilling into the paper bag. When the gagging had stopped, Lucy noticed the door before was now open. Light from the hallway seeped into the dark room and someone was standing.

"I can't really tell who's there so can you please speak?" she asks weakly, trying to lean back up. She hears the shuffle to her and the hands that help her up. She knew those hands. "Hershel?" she whispers.

"That's right," he replies quietly. Lucy transfers her hands to his arms and holds on for dear life, knowing that if she let go she would fall right back onto the ground. Hershel slowly takes her over to the bed and lays her back down. "When did you wake up?" he asks, placing a hand on her forehead.

"A few minutes ago," she replies, but then begins to cough, her lungs letting out flem. Hershel pats her back to help. When the coughing fit was over, she leans up painfully and almost chokes out, "What happened?"

"Lucy, I don't think this is the best time to tell you everything-"

"I don't care. I need to know. Why am I throwing up? What's going on?" Hershel sighs.

"Ok, just don't say anything until I'm done talking." Lucy nods, fearing for the worst. "But I need to check your vitals before anything else, ok? You can't be getting up and leaving because of what I say. You need to stay completely calm."

"Is it like, a matter of life and death?" she asks, very surprised. Her eyebrows were furrowed in curiosity, and she swallowed a bit.

"It very much could be." Lucy nods, glancing down at the ground.

"I can take it." Hershel nods, heading over to the machine next to her. She had no clue where the fuck he could have found that shit, but obviously he had found something. She turned to the right and saw that it was connected to her body, and small, tiny bits of blood would transfer from her skin to the old machine. There was a steady beat on the screen that simulated her heart. What the fuck happened?!

"Where's Sammy?" she suddenly asks, trying to get up. "Hershel where the fuck is my daughter?" Hershel lays his hands on her shoulders, keeping her on the bed. On any other day, she could have easily defied the old man and gone through the door, but all the muscles still ached in her body and the force of Hershel made it want to sit down even more.

"She's fine, Lucy. Perfectly healthy."

"Healthy? Why healthy? What's. Going. On?!" she grits through her teeth. The room starts to spin again and the beeping on the IV increases tenfold. Lucy grips onto the bed to keep herself from falling off.

"Lucy, you need to calm down!" Hershel snaps. Lucy stops, staring at the man. He was always the calm one. He never snapped unless he needed to. She takes a deep breath and nods, looking away from the machine so she could focus.

"I'm sorry," she whispers as her vision comes back to her.

"Should I tell you, Lucy?" Hershel tries to clarify. Lucy nods.

"I need to know. I'll stay quiet." Hershel nods, finally starting to explain what's been going on.

"First off, Samantha is safe. She's being taken care of by Maggie and Beth. She's in the best hands I know. There's a sickness that's running around the prison. It infects the blood stream and turns people fast. Glenn actually has it right now," he states sadly. Lucy frowns. Glenn was actually one of the nice people around here.

"Is that what I have?" she asks exhausted, her eyes drooping a bit. No, she was NOT falling asleep right now. No fucking way. She needed to know the full story. Hershel shakes his head.

"No. That's the other problem. There's someone working for the Governor in here, right now. Someone poisoned you, and that same person killed Nicki. And…" Lucy was already starting to feel sick.

"And? And? What AND?" she asks panicky before taking another deep breath. _Calm down. _

"Karen and David were burned. There was a child stabbed to the wall on the second floor hours ago. One woman was hung over the railing. Whoever is killing people, they strike _fast, _but with you, they wanted you to be killed-"

"Slowly," she finishes for him. Hershel nods, his face a mixture of comfort and pity.

"But because of everything that's been happening, the poison worked faster, and if you hadn't fainted in front of us, you would be dead." Lucy snorts a bit.

"Thank God for shitty timing," she mumbles, placing her head in her hands. Her friends were killed. That sucked major fucking ass. She looks back up a second later and sighs. "So now what? Am I gonna die?"

"No," Hershel answer simply. "We have managed to get the poison out, but about ten percent is still in your blood stream. Its reactions are caused by stress, so you need to lay low."

"So I'm stuck in bed all fucking day? I can't do ANYTHING to help?"

"I would not recommend it," Hershel states. Lucy sighs, rubbing her hands over her face.

"Who wants to kill me?" she mumbles. "What did I do?" Hershel shakes his head in disappointment.

"You haven't done anything, Lucy. But someone has a grudge, and someone is helping the Governor. What's best for right now is that you stay inside and let the poison finally run its course. If you go out, all it will do is cause it to start working again." Lucy sighs, nodding her head and leaning back on the bed.

"Ok," she states calmly. "Ok…ok, I…I can do that, just…am I allowed to see anyone? Do anything? And how long do I have to wait until it's completely ridden of my system or whatever?" Hershel is silent for a second, deep in thought. Lucy tried to wait as patiently as possible.

"It's been about six hours since this morning, so about eight since you passed out. If there is this little left in your system, I'd say another hour and all of it should be gone. By then, you should be cleared to leave, but you still need to take it easy. It could quickly come back." Lucy nods.

"Can I see my daughter?" she asks quietly. Hershel smiles and nods.

"I'll go get her." He gets up from the seat and goes towards the door. As it closes, Lucy sighs for the umpteenth time and looks down at her bed sheets. So someone wanted her out of the picture? Well, they would have to try a thousand times harder to kill her. She'd been through enough shit in her life and she was not going to be killed in the fucking zombie apocalypse by some hag or asshole that poisoned her.

Thinking back to when she was a kid, she now realized how Quinn felt when she was poisoned. It wasn't to the extent that Lucy had been, but it was enough to make Quinn feel like complete and total shit. If Lucy remembered correctly, she had been food poisoned by some of her roommates back in college. They were real fucking assholes. Lucy had suggested a million times that she move in with her, but Quinn simply stated that she would just be intruding on Lucy's life.

What the hell is that supposed to mean? She already took care of Sam when Lucy was working. She was a part of her life.

Lucy laughs to herself at the memory. Quinn was always so smart, but that had not been her best moment. Lucy always at least spared a smile when she thought about it.

Even so, her thoughts of the past were the only things right now that were keeping her sane. She didn't even realize fifteen minutes had gone by until the door squeaked open.

Lucy's broken out of her thoughts when she hears the door, and sees Sam rushing into the room full speed, her arms outstretched to hug Lucy. She grips her tightly as Lucy does the same, trying not to fall back on the bed. She still felt super weak, but she needed to see her daughter if nothing else.

"I thought you were dead," Sam cries into her mother's shoulder. Lucy sighs, hugging the girl tighter.

"I'm not dead, honey. I'm not going to be. Everything's fine." Sam pulls back and wipes the sticky tears off her face, brushing her hair away from her eyes. They were red and puffy, and the sight made Lucy's heart break. Trying to brighten the mood, Lucy smiles down at her, turning her around and grabbing a comb from the side drawer in the bedside table. She starts to slowly run it through Sam's tangled hair, trying to get out the knots. "How has everything been while I've been gone?"

"People died," she states quietly. Lucy frowns. Where was that happy smile that Sam always had? It was not gone. Lucy would not let it die out like this.

"Well, you haven't, and that's all that matters. Have Maggie and Beth been keeping you safe?" Sam nods softly, letting Lucy untangle her messy hair. "That's good. I'll have to thank them." A sudden thought crosses her mind. "Where's Daryl?" she asks.

"Mr. Daryl went out to help people get medicine for the sickness spreading. I don't know why Mr. Hershel went into the sick place to help now. He can't do anything." Lucy's brow furrowed. Didn't Hershel say that the sickness easily spreads?! Why would he go in there? That's practically suicide!

"Do you know when they'll be back?" Lucy asks softly, trying to figure out how she could help Hershel when she was done here. Sam shrugs.

"They left hours ago. It's been a long time. Maybe when the fireflies are out," she whispers wistfully, staring at the wall. Ok, that was it. This was starting to scare her. Lucy stops combing her hair and turns Sam around, facing her in front of her. Lucy cups her face in her hands and makes sure that Sam and she were making eye contact. The room was dark, but what Lucy saw shocked her. Every emotion inside came at her at once.

Sam had a few small bruises going up her face. One of them happened to be around the corner of her right eye. Still red scratches adorned her cheeks, one of 'em still slightly bleeding. But it wasn't the cuts and scratches that got to Lucy. That was something she could easily deal with. The one thing that got her was her eyes.

Completely empty.

There was no source of life in there. No happiness or kindness, just…sadness and fright. Her spirit was completely and utterly broken.

"Sam, who the hell did this to you?" she asks softly. Sam's face was emotionless, but she burst out crying a minute later, clutching onto Lucy for dear life. Lucy's arms wrap around her in shock, her hands reaching out to stroke her hair soothingly.

"It h-hurts mommy," she cries. "E-everyt-thing h-hurts." Lucy felt her face heat up in anger. Who the fuck had done this to her?! Had no one been watching her?

"I know it hurts, honey. I know, but you need to tell me who did this." This was definitely not what Hershel wanted her to be doing. This was causing her nothing but stress. She needed to fight the dizziness coming over her. _Deep breaths, Lucy. Deep breaths. _

"I-I couldn't s-see them," she chokes out, her voice wavy with sadness. Lucy nods, swearing inwardly.

"Do you remember certain characteristics? Anything about them? Was it two people?" Sam stopped crying for a second and stood stark still. Lucy's grip on her loosens and she looks Sam in the eyes again. "It was two people. Sweetie, do you remember _anything?_" Sam was silent for a moment, just staring at her mother. Lucy was trying to get this out. She could see the dark seeping back in again but a moment later Sam spoke.

"One of them was a man," she said confidently, but her voice still sounded weak from the crying. "And one of them was a woman." Lucy nods, the dizziness finally disappearing.

"Good, good. When did this happen? Does anyone else know? Where?" Sam was silent again, thinking back before speaking again.

"It happened after Mr. Hershel told me to come, before he went into the sick place. No one else knows. It was near the back of the prison, after Mr. Hershel told me to go to you. It's not " she finishes, answering all the questions. Lucy bites her lip, shaking her head. _That doesn't help me much._

"Ok…do you remember anything else?" Sam did the same thing as before, staying silent before speaking.

"The man had green eyes," she says. "And the woman was super skinny." Lucy nods, trying to think to who it could possibly be, but decides against it. She brings Sam closer and examines all of the wounds on her face.

"They were trying to hurt you," she murmurs. "How did you get away?"

"Mr. Daryl told me because I'm so small I can run in between people's legs to get away. So I did." Lucy smiles. Daryl was smart to tell her that. If he didn't she would probably have ended up in a much worse situation. "I miss Mr. Daryl," she mumbles. Lucy sighs.

"I do too. He'll be back, though. He always comes back." Sam slacks in her arms, leaning against Lucy, her head falling to the side. "You need to get the cuts checked out sweetie." Sam tenses up again, her arms crossing.

"No. I don't want to go back out there. I'm scared." Lucy angrily yells inside. This was the old Sam, the Sam she hadn't seen since they arrived at the prison. This was the first fucking place that Sam had felt safe in since this whole shit storm started, and now because of this shit she had crawled back into her shell and didn't feel anything anymore.

"Sam, those are going to get infected." Sam shakes her head.

"I don't care. I want to be with you." Lucy sighs, finally giving into the stress and leaning against the headboard. She knew even how much she tried Sam would not budge. The kid was super stubborn, and it seemed to even intensify when they got here.

"Fine," she states softly. "I might fall asleep." Sam shrugs.

"I don't mind." Lucy nods. Sam settles into a silence, leaning against Lucy with all her weight while Lucy's blood pressure steadily decreased, but as soon as she started to feel drowsy, Sam speaks. "Do you like Mr. Daryl?"

Lucy's head snaps up at the question, staring at her daughter, seeing if she was joking, but there was no sense of a prank on the kids face.

"I…well, yeah I do-"

"Mommy, you know what I mean," she interrupts. Lucy didn't even know her four year old knew what that meant. She sighs, wiping her face from the drowsyness starting to appear and thinks for a second. Did she like him like _that? _Daryl was definitely on her favorite people list, probably right next to Quinn. She would be pretty pissed off if he got killed.

"Well, to be honest, I don't really know," she starts off. "I would be very mad if he…was to get bit. Very sad. He's kept us safe, fed, protected us…I don't think he's done anything terrible, except for encouraging you to catch bugs," she says ruffling her hair. Sam lets out a small giggle, but that was it for the little girl. "What about you, huh? Do _you _like Mr. Daryl?" Sam nods.

"A lot! He's my favorite person here. He always helps me with the bugs, and gives me piggyback rides, and plays with me sometimes. He even told me a story about…" Lucy smiles a bit as Sam went off on how great Daryl was. Sam really liked him a lot. It felt nice that she trusted someone just as much as she used to trust Quinn.

And that's when it all snapped together.

Lucy loved Quinn. She would do anything for Quinn. She would do anything to keep her going and keep her alive. And she knew she felt the exact same way for Daryl, but for him…this was deeper, stronger, almost the exact same bond as she and Quinn have. She wanted something more with him, though. She wanted him to be with her, and obviously Sam wanted the same, too.

She, of all people in the world, loved Daryl Dixon.

Fuck, she didn't need this. She was so fucking screwed now.

Lucy sighs, her head hanging.

Well, now she couldn't deny anything.

"Mommy? Are you ok?" Lucy snaps out of her thought, glancing down at Sam who was looking curiously at her mother.

"Yeah, yeah I'm good," she states quietly, a small smile gracing her face. "I'm gonna head to sleep and get the rest of this crap out of me. You stay right here, ok? Don't need you running off." Sam pouts.

"You never answered my question!" Lucy rolls her eyes.

"Yeah, I like him." Sam smiles.

"Will you marry him?" Lucy places her hand on her shoulders.

"Ok, time to go to sleep, Sam." Sam laughs a bit, closing her eyes and settling into her mother's side while Lucy closes her own. Her last thought was of maybe one day actually living in peace with her daughter…and maybe Daryl.

~%~

Lucy's eyes opened to a very dark room, but because of the decline of windows in the room, she had no clue if it was day or night. Beginning to get up and look around, she is stopped when she feels a small weight on top of her, preventing her body from standing up. She glances down at the force and smiles when she sees Sam sprawled out on her stomach, all limbs in different directions.

She actually looked peaceful compared to the first time Lucy woke up, but the cuts on her face still haunted her. Who would do that to a little girl?

That's when it hit her. Because Sam hadn't gotten them treated when she did, those scratches on her face would turn into scars. Lucy knew all about those kinds of things.

She growls angrily at herself, feeling like the world was on top of her shoulders. Fuck the person that did this. They would die in hell. She would strangle their neck and make sure they were tortured, then slowly kill them.

She moves Sam slowly so she would not wake up and leans back against the headboard. She looks over at the IV that hung loosely on the stand and sees that is said 0%, and Lucy knew that all the poison had left her body.

Sighing thankfully, she moves her legs to leave the bed but stops when she feels her head. Her fingertips stuck to what was there. It was some sort of bandage.

Lucy quickly moves and looks at the mirror across the room. There was a thick, white bandage wrapped around her head that desperately needed to be changed. She must have hit her head hard when she fell.

Moving as easily as she could, she goes to the door, sparing one last glance at Sam and turns the knob, stepping out into the warm hallway. Almost immediately she is met with blood on the ground and she feels bile rise up in her throat, but swallows it down. She locks the door behind her so Sam would be safe and walks down the hallway, hoping to find at least one of the Greene's.

As she makes her way down she looks outside and sees people stabbing the dead, the decaying bodies falling to the ground in heaps. But today every single person that seemed to be doing the killing looked extra angry. Some were stabbing them with hatred. It was eerie.

When she finally turns a corner and lands in the kitchen, Beth's arms are the first thing she sees and feels. They wrap around her body so tightly that Lucy could feel the air getting drained out of her. The poison might have been gone but the weakness was still there.

"We were so worried!" she exclaims. "We thought you weren't gonna wake up!"

"Well, I'm fine but if you keep squeezing me like that we're gonna have a problem." Beth's arms dropped to her side and Lucy let out a breath that she didn't realize she had been holding. Her hand reached to the counter to stable herself before she could fall to the floor.

"Sorry," she quickly states. Lucy smiles, though a bit painfully. For a small girl she had a fucking tight grip.

"It's fine, Beth. It's great to be ok." Lucy looks over and sees Maggie smiling at the situation before coming over and giving Lucy a hug, a much gentler one than the hug Beth had previously given. When she pulls back she still had a smile.

"It's great to see you up. Everyone was worried but so much shit had been happening around here it's been hard to focus." Lucy frowns.

"Hershel told me," she whispers fiercely. "Has anyone else been-" Her voice was cut off by their nods. Lucy growls inwardly. Really?! How many people had died since she passed out? "Who?" she growls.

"Daddy told me you know about the little boy, as well as Karen and David. The woman as well. But there was a man that was stabbed in the chest and one of his arms was torn, while another woman was dangling from the fences. This place isn't safe anymore," Maggie whispers sadly. Lucy grips the table angrily but tries to calm herself. She didn't need the stress anymore.

"No duh," she mumbles. A cry echo's throughout the room and Beth rushes over to the other side. Out comes a crying and hungry Judith, ready for whatever Beth was going to give her. Lucy smiles a bit, walking over when Beth was having trouble with trying to get her to eat. "Here, let me."

"I couldn't, Lucy. You just woke up!" Beth protests, but Lucy rolls her eyes, gently taking the baby from her hands.

"Don't worry. I got this," she states. Looking down at Judith's crying form, she starts to slowly rock her back and forth, humming _Pure Imagination, _her favorite song from when she was a little kid. It always seemed to calm her down easily, and apparently the soft melody was doing the same for Judith, as her cries simmered down to whimpers and then to nothing. The little girl giggled as Lucy smiles. She takes the bottle from Beth's hands and gives it to Judith, who began to drink. "There you go."

"How were you able to calm her down like that so quickly?" Beth asks. Lucy shrugs, turning back to the sisters.

"I had to raise one for a while. I still do, if you haven't seen. I basically know all the tricks to this sort of stuff." Lucy turns back to the baby but a sudden thought crosses her mind, and her eyes darken. "Two."

The women's brow furrow at her announcement, confusion clearly written on their faces. "What?" Maggie asks.

"There were two of them. Two people have been going around killing the people. My daughter told me." Maggie comes forward.

"How does she know?"

"Because she was attacked." She places Judy back into her crib and looks at the two. "A while ago she ran into my room freaked out, but because it was so dark I didn't see what had happened to her. She had been attacked, and she had three scratches on her face. Because she didn't get them looked that, they'll scar."

"Oh, Lucy I'm so sorry," Beth says, placing a comfortingly hand on her shoulder. Lucy shakes her head.

"It's fine. I locked her in the room so no one would get in and hurt her. I just wish Hershel didn't send her off alone. If someone had been with her then this probably wouldn't have happened." She moves to go to the door but stops. Hadn't Sam said that the woman was thin? "Where's Carol?"

~%~

Lucy didn't know how long she looked throughout the prison for the grey haired woman, turning every single corner and crevice so that she could ask her what she wanted, but no matter where she walked she couldn't seem to find her at all.

Finally when she came across some of the Woodbury folks that happened to still be there, she asks exactly where she had gone. Lucy saw that it was the red headed girl from a while ago who had asked her to sing.

"I'm pretty sure she and Rick went out on a run. They probs won't be back for a while." Lucy felt her spirits sink at those words. She needed to tell someone NOW. The fact that Daryl was gone too made it worse. Maybe she could tell Hershel…no, he was taking care of the people in the infirmary.

Fuck, who would she tell?

"Thanks," she mumbles. "Has anyone else been killed?" The red head shakes her head.

"Not that I know of. It's been eerily quiet since you woke up. Maybe you're a good look charm or something." Lucy snorts, her hands going to her hips.

"I wish," she mumbles lowly. Looking down at the ground and looking back up, she smiles pleasantly at the red head. "You know, I haven't gotten your name."

"Danielle," she replies, sticking out her hand for her to shake. Lucy smiles, taking the hand in hers.

"Lucy," she chuckles tiredly. After a few minutes of talking, Lucy sets off to head back to her small room that Sam was still asleep in, noticing the sun had started to descend into the night and that the light from outside had disappeared. This would not be fun. Stumbling around in the dark to get back. She was bound to hurt herself.

Reaching out to the railings, she makes her way back down the hallways, making sure that she doesn't fall down to the floor. All the fogginess had left her brain, but she still felt weak from everything that had happened.

When she turns a corner, she is suddenly slammed into the wall, her head hitting the hard concrete behind it. She feels blackness start to take over but she fights through the pain, opening her eyes and staring at the person who was trying to hurt her. Her hands were pinned at her side and she felt like she couldn't breathe. It was Marcus.

Green eyes.

"Y…you," she croaks out. "You…hurt…Samantha-"

"Yeah, yeah, I did," he replies lazily, rolling his eyes. Lucy couldn't move her hands, both being trapped and gripped to the wall. She felt a steady trickle of warm liquid move down the back of her neck, and she knew she was bleeding yet again. The stone must have broken through the weak bandage and opened up the wound.

"You…you son…o..of a…b-bitch," she stutters.

"Well, you can't really blame me for doing what I did," he chuckles darkly, tightening his hold on her wrists. Through the pain she opens her eyes and glares as angrily as she could, thought right now she felt like her head was on fire.

"What have I…I done to…to you?" She could hear her voice getting weaker.

"What do you think, Lucy?" he whispers, placing a string of her hair behind her ear creepily. Lucy couldn't do shit, and she knew this was going to go south very soon. "I've done nothing but be nice to you, every single day-"

"Liar," she bites out. He snorts.

"I aint lying. Ever since I got here with all these Woodbury folks, ya'll have been giving me shit. Every person, ya and yer stupid redneck hick," he spat out. Lucy ignored the insult to Daryl and thought for a second. She had never even known that he was from around here. His southern accent was off the charts right now. "So I decided I was going to have a little fun with some of the people who made me feel like shit." Lucy tries harder to break free, but her hands were held too tight.

"You killed all of them," she growls. He laughs, his disgusting voice echoing off the walls.

"No, I had some help, but my accomplice is currently outside of the prison, so I can't really show who she is." _It __**was**__ Carol! _"But it seems no matter how hard I try, I can't seem to kill you. Whether it's you or Dixon or Grimes I can't kill you, but no one is around. No one can hear you scream, or hear the struggle. You're all mine," he purrs. She struggles even more, but she could feel her head getting lighter and lighter.

"Marcus…"

"I'm thinking I'll finally have my way with you, see what it really feels like to have my dick inside ya, then slit your throat after and let you die out. Then I'll finally kill that little bitch of yours. Finish causing those scratches on her face. Little fucker ran right between my legs. Pretty sure you can't do anything right now, can ya, sweetheart?"

His hands travel down her body and greedily rip at her shorts, starting to unbutton them, but Lucy struggles, her hands reaching down to stop him. "Get the fuck off me!" she manages. Marcus' head snaps up angrily, taking her chin and making her look at him.

"Ya listen to me," he snaps. "This aint some fucking nightmare. This is real, and ya are going to listen to me. Aint shit ya or anyone could do ta stop me." Lucy stares at him and thinks for a second. She didn't think there was anything else she could do, so reluctantly she slams her skull into his in a head butt. The fogginess comes over again, but she was able to get Marcus off her and have him hold his head, yelling in anguish.

She stammers away from the wall and attempts to run away, but as soon as she takes one step she falls to the ground in pain. Her head felt like she was being pounded into the floor, and her legs felt like they were being stabbed. She tries to stand but feels a hand wrap around her ankle from behind her.

"Sorry, girl. Ya aint going nowhere," he growls out, pulling her closer. She scratches at the ground, trying to find some sort of grip to hang onto, but all she felt was the hard, stone, cold floor. Lucy turns around to see that he had a firm bruise growing where her head had hit him, and she knew there was something on her head as well. His grip on her ankle was tight, but thinking quickly, she pushes all the force she could muster, and the foot hits his face. Her heel dug into his eye.

He screams out in pain and let's go of her foot, cradling his eye in his hands. She takes the opportunity to grip onto the wall and pull herself up, stepping away from Marcus. Now, from his grip, her foot felt like shit. She limps a bit away, looking for the nearest exit, and not being very successful in doing so.

"No!" Marcus screams, getting up from the ground. He wraps his arms around her and pulls her back to his chest, very tightly. She struggles again, waving her arms back and forth to get a punch but he was too strong. She looks at his face and nearly gasps at his appearance. He had plenty of black bruises spreading across his face, one enveloping around his eye. His nose was bleeding fresh and dark red blood, leading down his neck. His face was all swollen. "You will die tonight. I'll make sure of it," he growls.

Lucy glares up at him and feels sudden strength develop deep within her, and in a burst of confidence she leans down and bites the hand that was holding her close to him, very, _very _hard. He lets out another scream as Lucy actually tears off flesh, and his arms finally let go. As he cries out, she runs as fast as she could, as fast as her body could take her. Her mind still felt like crap, but she powered through enough to get a safe enough distance from Marcus.

And that's when she passes out again.

~%~

Lucy's eyes opened again and she looks around, her mind a fog again. All she saw was blurs everywhere. When her sight finally came into focus, she saw that she had somehow found her way to one of the old communal bathrooms, one of the places they didn't use because it no longer worked.

Her hand comes into focus as she lifts it up to reach onto the sink. With all the small strength, she pulls herself up enough so that both her hands were placed on the rim. She moves her legs and finally gets into the view of the mirror. Looking up super slowly, she gasps weakly at her appearance.

All around her neck there was dried up blood, probably from the small gash that had reopened earlier that had no dried over. The bandage that was wrapped around her forehead was soaked in the red liquid. Her hair that had been in a ponytail had fallen out. There were bruises everywhere. One was even a bruise of where Marcus had grabbed her chin tightly.

Her fingers came up to touch it but she regretted almost instantly, as the touch was too intense for such a sensitive bruise. Her hand trails back down and she frowns at the mirror. What had she done to deserve this? Did she really seem like such a bitch to Marcus and Carol?! Carol just wasn't her favorite person, and Marcus was always trying to lay something on her, which she never wanted.

"Why is everything so damn complicated?" she exclaims, pulling at her hair. For a second, she lets her anger overtake her body, and she punches the mirror with her bloody hands. Pulling back and wincing, she cradles her right hand in her left, but stops and stares at her reflection. There was something different.

Her back teeth were slightly pointed.

She gently places one of her fingers inside her mouth and pokes at the back. Yup, they were pointed.

"What the fuck?" she murmurs when she removes her finger. That HAD to be from the poison. How the fuck does that happen?

A car door closes.

Lucy's head snaps around and she looks for a window. In the dim light of night, she finds one, the moonlight shining off the surface of the glass. She tries to run over to it, but finds that doing so was actually hard. Looking down, she sees that her ankle was bruised from the top part to the bottom.

"Fuck," she whispers angrily. She limps over to the window and looks outside, trying to see who it was. Two cars. One was defiantly the one that Rick took. Carol had to be back. Other people were still climbing out of the other. There was a buildup happening at the fence. She saw a weapon come out first, and she sighed in happiness.

A crossbow.

"Thank fucking God!" she whispers, limping over to the door. She makes her way through the doorway and into the hall, trying to find her way through the halls without running into someone or something. _Why was there so many twists and turns in this god damn prison?_

Finally when she turns one last corner, she sees the door leading out into the open yard, where she had eaten and played with Sammy so many times. As she ran outside, she felt the pain from the cuts, the limping, and the bruises starting to take over, but she fights through it. She _needed _to get to him.

Darkness envelopes her vision, as dark as the night sky was. Through the fogginess yet again, she sees Rick and his son, and then Tyreese, Bob, Michonne…

"Daryl," she croaks out. Her voice wasn't letting her yell. Her lungs felt like they were on fire from the limping. She tries one more time, taking a deep and painful breath. "Daryl!" she shouts, her voice cracking at the end.

His head finally looks over just as she starts to lose her footing. The pain was becoming too much.

"Lucy?" he questions in the dark. Everything was hard to see. The only thing that gave him the slightest nod to who it was, was her voice. "Lucy!" he yells when he starts to see her go down. He throws his crossbow over his shoulder and runs over to her as quick as possible. Right before her head hits the ground, his arms reach out and wrap around her waist, keeping her up. "Whoa, what's going on? Why aint ya inside?"

"D…Daryl, it h..hurts so m..much," she stutters, grasping onto his arms to keep herself from falling. Her head was getting heavier by the minute.

"Lucy, what the…yer bleeding," he states when his hand feels the back of her neck. The blood had soaked into her shirt now. Lucy feels her eyes start to close. Daryl sees. "Lucy, don't pass out on me now. Ya gotta stay awake," he says, trying to keep her eyes open.

"To..o..much," she chokes. "M..Mar…c..cus," was the last thing she whispers before she completely falls into darkness for the third time that day.

~%~

"What the fuck is going on?!" Daryl fiercely whispers after they had finished clearing the fences. When Lucy had passed out in his arms, for a moment he panicked, but after hearing the steady breathing and feeling the rising of her chest, he knew she only just fell asleep. But all the cuts and the pain and the way she talked…it made him even more pissed than he was before. "I thought ya said all the poison was gone, old man!" he hisses at Hershel.

The older man doesn't even flinch at his words. "The poison **is** out, Daryl. It's been out for a while. This is man-made," he indicates, pointing to the very large bruise that rest on her ankle. "Someone was trying to hurt her again. Did she say anything before she passed out?"

Daryl thinks back to what she might have said, and when he remembers his vision turns red. He stomps out of the room, ignoring the calls from the people inside, and heads over to the other side of the prison, his fists clenched. He didn't care about who might be following him, who was shouting. All he cared about was beating this fucker's face.

Once he saw the dirty brown hair from inside the cafeteria, he walks over, ready to kill. He pushes all of the chairs out of the way, surprising most of the people and causing them to turn to all the commotion happening. Marcus also turns, and as soon as his green eyes fall onto Daryl, his right gets destroyed by Daryl's fist.

"Daryl!" Rick shouts, running over to the commotion that was happening right in the middle of all the people. Everyone was shouting, but to be honest the only thing Daryl saw was Marcus' bloody and bruised face as he took as many swings as possible.

"Daryl, stop it!" This time it was Tyreese' voice that shouted. Both he and Rick run over to Daryl, tearing his body off of Marcus, who was spitting out blood from his mouth, groaning in agony. Daryl was breathing heavily.

"What the fuck, man?!" Marcus yells at him. Daryl almost goes back in.

"Ya fucking almost killed Lucy!" he shouts. "And yer askin' me what the fuck?! So yer just gonna kill he because she won't give ya what ya want?!" He didn't even realize he was trying to break free of Rick and Tyeese' grip until he felt it tighten around his arms.

"Daryl, you need to calm down. You're causing a scene," Rick mutters to him. Daryl stops struggling and turns to him.

"He killed them, Rick! This little motherfucker killed all those people! And almost killed Lucy!" Daryl turns back to Marcus. "I'm gonna fucking kill ya!" Marcus eyes widen.

"This isn't going-"

"Mr. Daryl?" a small voice interrupts. All four men's heads turn to the doorway to see a just woken up Samantha, rubbing her eyes from the sleepiness. Daryl looks closer and sees that she had three deep scratches on the side of her face, all close together. That was not there when he left.

"Sam, what happened to yer cheeks?" he asks, heading over to her. As he gets closer, he sees that the scratches weren't all that was there. Bruises were on her face, and she also had a small black eye around her right one. "What the hell happened to ya?" he asks, leaning down to her height to look at her face.

Rick and Tyreese look at each other with interest. It was amazing that not one of the little kids in the entire room, who were all clutching onto their mothers legs, could calm him down to not yelling, but when this little girl walks in he goes from complete psycho to quiet man.

Sam opens her eyes and makes contact with Marcus, and they widen into huge saucers. She backs away from the people and lands on the wall behind her, surprising Daryl, who had been the one coming near her.

"Green eyes!" she cries. "Green eyes, green eyes, green eyes!" She had turned her head away and was looking at the wall. It all clicks. This asshole hurt Samantha. Those scratches, the bruises…all because of him. "Get him away! Go away!"

Daryl turns back to Marcus, ready to finally finish what he had intended. That was when it crossed the line. Rick and Tyreese could hold him back once, but when Samantha is involved he didn't give a shit who saw.

And that's when a gun was drawn.

And pointed at Samantha.

"SAM!" Daryl screams as the trigger is pulled and the bullet flies. Sam screams as she hears the sound of it going off, but was surprised to not feel any pain. Had it gone through her?

Her eyes were closed from the fear, and her mind was blank except for the fact that green eyes was in there. But thankfully, Daryl had been the one to rush over before the bullet could hit her, lifting her up into his arms and pulling her away just as the bullet broke through stone on the wall.

She was crying. Crying so hard. Sobs racked the little girl's body unlike any other. Everyone was screaming.

Rick and Tyreese take hold of a very angry and struggling Marcus, one of them knocking the gun away and onto the ground.

"Ya had these deaths coming! Treating me like crap like the walkers outside! Motherfuckers!" Marcus screams, trying to break free. Rick looks to Daryl and nods his head towards the doorway. He needed to get the kid out of here before she had a severe panic attack.

Daryl reluctantly agrees, knowing that Sam needed to medically be removed from the room. She was freaking out already. Her sobs wouldn't stop. Her head was buried in his shoulder and she didn't even know. Once they had gotten a safe enough distance from the cafeteria and back near the room that they had put Lucy in, he tries to remove her from him, but her grip was death like. She wasn't letting go.

"Sammy, ya gotta let go," he states softly, trying to remove her little hands from around his neck. She shakes her head, her sobs still echoing the prison.

"N..no, I..I d-don't w…want to g..go," she croaks through her tears. "I w..wanna..stay h-here." Daryl's brow furrows. Did she think she was dying?

"Yer not dead, Sam. Yer ok," he tries. She finally lifts her head up from his shoulder, and that's where he really sees the scratches for the first time. Motherfucker, they hadn't been treated. They would scar. Her eyes were red and puffy.

"I'm not?" she cries. He shakes his head softly, trying to get her to calm down.

"No, yer not," he confirms. "Alive as the bugs outside." Tears were still streaming down her beat up face. Her sobs had finally died down to whimpers. She throws her hands around him again and snuggles closer to his chest.

"I hate him. I hate green eyes. He hurt mommy." That wasn't right. A four year old should not know the word hate let alone speak it. Daryl places his arms under her to steady her body. She must have overheard them talking about Lucy with Marcus.

"Ya wanna see mommy? She's right in there," he says, pointing to the door they were next to. Very gingerly, she nods her head, not even having the energy to lift it up. She was completely drained. He gets up and opens the door slowly, peeking inside first to see if Lucy was awake, which she was. For a minute, she looked a bit normal. She had a book in her hands, reading it quietly, but then he saw the bandages.

So much for normality.

She looks up at the closed door and smiles brightly when she sees Daryl again, but stops when she sees a traumatized Sam in his arms. She attempts to get up from her spot on the bed but Daryl places his hand in the air to stop her from moving any further. Her brow furrows.

"Ya don't have the energy, Lucy," he states. He sits down next to her on the bed and Lucy shuffles over to see Sam. Her eyes were closed.

"Is she asleep?" she mumbles. Daryl looks down at the kid and sees that she was. He didn't even notice she had fallen asleep.

"Guess she is," he mumbles back. Lucy places a hand on his shoulder, causing him to look up. She smiles.

"Hey," she states softly. Daryl looks back down.

"Hey," he murmurs. "Marcus tried to shoot 'er." Her eyes widen.

"What?" she fiercely whispers. He nods.

"They're takin' care of him." Her shoulders sag. This was terrible. Her little four year old was beaten, as was she, and she was almost shot. This was a pretty bad day. He begins to lay Sam down and get up to leave, but Lucy places her hands on his arms, pulling him back to the bed. "What?" he asks confused.

"Stay," she states quietly. "Please." Daryl's brow furrows, really wondering if he should, but seeing the pleading look in her eyes, he decides to gently settle Sam next to her and he follows a moment later on her other side. She turns her body so that she laid her head on his chest, much to his surprise. A bit awkwardly, he moves one of his arms and places it around her waist, pulling her closer as painlessly as he could.

"Why do ya want me to stay?" he asks when silence had started. He didn't want to stop talking. Not right now. Not when she almost died _twice in the same day. _

"I feel safe around you," she mumbles, looking up at him. She sees the doubt in his eyes. "It's true. I do. So does Sam. She fell asleep so easily in your arms. I…I was really worried about you today," she states quietly, looking back down at the bed. She feels him huff.

"Why? I always come back," he mutters. She shrugs.

"There's always that chance, Dixon," she replies. "After everything that's been happening in the past couple of days…it's so much to bare. Today, alone, killed Sam."_ His brow furrows.

"A lot of shit happened but what do ya mean killed her?"

"Her spirit, Daryl. Her spirit is completely broken. All the light from her eyes. She's scarred for life. Literally and figuratively." She snuggles deeper into his chest. "I wish she didn't have to go through this." He lays there quietly for a few minutes, thinking about the way Sam looked. She really did look terrible, and those sobs…they would haunt him for a while.

"She said she hated Marcus," he mumbles. She snorts, taking a look at her sleeping daughter.

"I don't blame her. He's a stupid asshole who would kill me just to get a piece of ass. It's still bad she said it though. Very bad." She looks back up at him. "I feel like her childhood is turning out to be mine," she says sadly. "Bad memory after bad memory."

"Aint like that," he replies. "Just a shitty world. Can't help it." She smiles a bit and leans up to look.

"Thank you for staying. You didn't have to." He shrugs, looking away from her thankful face. Dixons and emotions didn't work well, but with him, somehow, he _really _wanted to try.

"Aint nothing. Both ya and Sam have been through a lot today." She nods, looking back down and closing her eyes. "I was worried about ya both today, too." She smiles even wider. She leans up and places a quick kiss on his cheek, surprising him.

"Goodnight, Daryl," she says softly, finally closing her eyes. He waits a few minutes, waiting until he felt the steady breathing of her chest before replying.

"Night Lucy," he mumbles into the darkness. He closes his eyes, but not before placing a quick peck on her forehead. Thank God she was asleep. Finally, he slips off into sleep, much easier than in the past couple of days. Lucy was fast asleep on his chest, and Sam was long gone, her little body rising and falling with her mothers.

He could get used to this.

~%~

**Review? :) Luv ya all!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Because I haven't updated in so long, I'm going to try to update as much as possible. I got this, guys. :) And thank you to the reviewers **RebornRose1992 and Kima Wolfwood. **Ya'll are amazing, as well as the new followers and favs! On with the story!**

~%~

The next morning, Daryl was the first to wake up out of all of the three laying there on the small bed. For a moment, he looked around the room, trying to figure out where the hell he was and how he got there, until he felt Lucy slightly shift next to her, and all the memories from the day before came flooding back to him.

He leans up on the bed but finds that he can't. Looking down, he sees that Lucy was completely wrapped around him, her arms around his waist and one of her legs intertwined with his.

She was sleeping soundly, her head nestled on his chest. Her hair had fallen completely out of her ponytail and a few strands had fallen onto her face. Even sleeping, with the bruises, she looked innocent. He felt a burst of anger start up inside him at the thought of Marcus and what he did to Lucy and Sam, but finally realized that getting angry was not going to help. It was just gonna make things worse.

Speaking of the little girl, he looks over and finds that she was completely passed out as well, her head hanging slightly off the bed. Her thumb was in her mouth. It would have made a cute picture if it wasn't for the scars that now littered her cheeks.

He slowly removed her from around him, trying his best not to wake up the two sleeping girls. When Lucy was successfully placed to the side and closer to Sam, he gets up from the bed and walks towards the door. Opening it, he glances outside and sees that most people were out having breakfast. For a moment, he contemplated waking up Lucy to go, but realized she would probably kill him for doing so.

He walks down the hall and starts to head outside but hears a small moan coming from down the hallway. Curious, he avoids the crowd outside for a second and walks down the hall, looking for where it might have come from. As he reaches the end, he sees a locked cell with a clearly beat up and pissed off Marcus, who was just waking up from being knocked out.

He pfts at the man who was trying to lean up. Marcus hears the small sound and looks up. He sees Daryl and glares at him. "The fuck you want?" Marcus spits at him, getting up from the uncomfy bed. "Here to give me another beating for trying to steal yer girl?"

"She's not my girl, ya stupid asshole," Daryl snarls through the bars. Marcus snorts, getting up from his spot and walking over to Daryl.

"Shut the fuck up, you stupid hick," he replies. Daryl's mouth opens to retort, but Marcus' angry reply cuts him off. "Everyone can see it. The way you look at her, the daughter. Ya act like they're your own, like they're yours to protect."

"They are. They're part of the group," Daryl replies, his hands clenching into fists. Marcus mouth contorts into a mocking smile.

"That's bullshit, and ya know it." He comes closer to the bars, his hands resting on the iron poles. "It's more to you. You're always around them like they're your family. Staring at Lucy, probably thinkin' 'bout her in different positions, on the bed, on the table, fuckin' her in a dark hallway, all them dirty thoughts-"

"Ya don't know shit, ya fucker," Daryl growls at him. Marcus continues.

"But then there are those nice thoughts. Think all of ya could be a family one day, live safe and keep them protected, make happy memories and all that shit. Maybe even **really** start a family if both of ya could find somewhere safe enough."

"Shut the fuck up," Daryl grits out.

"But ya don't go for it. Ya don't kiss her, or tell her you want her, because it always comes down to the fact that why would she want an asshole like you when she could get anyone else in this world. She's too good for you anyway, and all you can do is run to the end of your chain and bark." Daryl pushes his hands through the bars and pulls the collar of Marcus shirt to hit the cage.

Marcus' body rattles against the bars as he flinches in pain. Daryl's eyes were narrowed into slits.

"Ya listen here, ya stupid sunovabitch. Yer lucky I didn't kill ya yesterday. I was close, but I didn't. Ya keep makin' stupid comments like that about Lucy, or Sam, or anyone here, ya aint gonna live to see the light of day tomorrow. So I suggest shutting that mouth of yers before I do it for ya." Daryl lets Marcus go in a huff, sending him to the ground.

He turns away, walking back down the hall and out into the yard, where he saw Hershel by the cars. Walking over, wanting to let go of the anger he felt at this point, He takes a spot next to him. Hershel looks up and sees that it was him.

"Morning, Daryl," he comments, turning back to the car. Daryl huffs, nodding his head. "Somethin' on your mind?" the old man asks.

"Fucking Marcus asshole," Daryl grumbles, crossing his arms. Hershel spares a small glance at him and then turns back to the car. He was sort of expecting that.

"What'd he say now?" he replies. Daryl finally turns to him.

"Shit about Lucy that I didn't want to hear. Fucking asshole," he mumbles, chewing his thumbnail in frustration. Hershel nods his head, groaning a bit as he repositions his back, standing up straight.

"You care a lot about her," Hershel states. Daryl looks at him.

"She's just part of the group," Daryl states. Hershel looks at him from the side, still staring down at the car.

"Do you really believe that yourself, Daryl?" he asks. Daryl snorts.

"Now yer startin' to sound like Marcus. What the hell is wrong with all of ya?" Hershel walks up to him and gives him that knowing look that Daryl was starting to really hate. "What? Ya gonna berate me too?"

"I'm not going to do anything of the sort, son," he states. "I just wanna ask a few questions." Daryl rolls his eyes for a second.

"So it's an interview, huh?" Hershel ignores the comment and moves on. He really didn't stand for people interrupting him.

"How long have Lucy and Sam been at the prison now?" he asks. Daryl shrugs.

"Dunno, probably two months, maybe three." Hershel nods.

"She's done a lot here. Helped me out a lot in the infirmary, but gone on runs. Pretty good with a gun, great with knives. Always nice. Don't know why Marcus would want to do something like that." Daryl snorts.

"What I'm thinking," he mumbles. Hershel looks over at him.

_"_What do _you _think of her?" Daryl's brow furrows.

"What?" he asks. Hershel nods.

"You heard me, What do you think of Lucy?" Daryl turns away, his eyes averting to the ground.

"I..." he stops, trying to think of how to phrase his words. "She's great," Daryl starts, turning to look at the old man. "I mean, she's smart, always quiet...keeps her kid protected. Sam actually acts like a little kid and not like a crazy person, but after yesterday I aint so sure anymore. Kid's traumatized." Hershel nods sadly.

"I'm pretty sure everyone received a dose of that after yesterday. Long and tough day. But Lucy handled it well. Even after all that Marcus did to her, she's still alive. She was pretty happy when you came back. Seems to like you a lot." Daryl looks away, suddenly feeling awkward in this conversation.

"I saved her ass and her daughters. Aint surprised." Hershel shakes his head.

"You're more than that, Daryl. You're their protector, as you are to a lot of people in this group, but you do more with them than probably anyone else who is new here. You talk to Lucy a lot, play with Sam, tell her stories. They trust you more than anyone else here. You're family to them, and even I can tell when a woman wants something more." Daryl snorts again.

"Yeah...whatever," Daryl mumbles. Hershel places a hand on his shoulder.

"Daryl, you need to realize that people **do **like you, and Lucy is just another part of them. She just may be a bit more than most." Daryl stays silent, staring at the ground. Hershel looks back to the engine and sighs, shaking his head. "This old thing is relentless. Can't get this van to start up at all." Daryl turns back.

"I can work on it," he states, turning to the engine. Hershel chuckles.

"Ya can try, but I think it's pretty much in the gutter." Daryl turns to the truck but not before asking Hershel a quick question.

"Ya seen Carol anywhere? Gotta ask her about Marcus and everything." Hershel nods towards the prison.

"You should talk to Rick for that. I gotta go and look at all the sick people, Make sure Glenn's okay. Have fun with this," he mumbles, turning around and walking away. Daryl shakes his head, chuckling a little.

"Crazy to go in there," he says to Hershel. The old man smiles.

"Someone's gotta. Their getting better though." With that statement, he walks off and Daryl looks back to the truck, thinking of Hershel's words over and over. Did he really want something like that with Lucy? He already knew he cared about her more then most people. He didn't need an old man or some crazy fucking pyscho to tell him that, but in this world, going for something more with someone was practically a suicide mission.

From looking into the truck, he was so focused he didn't hear the gate door clang open and someone step out. "Morning, Daryl."

His head hits the cars open engine lid and he curses under his breath. Looking over, he sees Lucy with one of her hands covering her mouth, trying to stop the laugh that was trying to escape. He glares at her. "Think that's funny huh?" he asks, but soon a small smirk found its way onto his face.

"No, just...fuck it, yeah it was hilarious," she laughs. He scoffs, turning back to the car. She walks over, leaning against the side of the car, taking a look. "Need any help?" He looks up with a raised eyebrow.

"The hell would ya know about this?" She smirks.

"I'm from Manhattan, _punto. _Anything you can do I can probably do better." Daryl snorts, moving away from the engine, gesturing to it with his hands.

"Then by all means, _princess_. Have a go." She rolls her eyes, settling next to him and digging into the engine. She starts up the conversation.

"How'd ya sleep?" she asks quietly, moving the wrench along a bolt. He shrugs, though he wouldn't admit it was the best he had slept in a very long time.

"Good. What about ya?" he asks. She smiles.

"Great. Felt good to sleep all the stress away." He looks at the bruises along her face as well as the stitching on the back of her head. The bandage was long gone by now.

"How's all the cuts?" he asks. She shrugs a bit.

"It hurt a lot yesterday, but I think that was just a side effect of the poison still being in my body. Now, it's more like a dull pain, just hanging around the back of my head. I'm good though." She looks up at him and smiles a bit more. "You good?" He snorts.

"I'm not the one who was poisoned." She rolls her eyes and looks back to the car. "Is Sammy alright?" he asks. She sighs.

"Don't know. She hasn't woken up yet. Still sleeping like a log. Heaven knows she needs it." She looks back up again. "I want to thank you for protecting her from the Marcus asshole when I couldn't. I feel so helpless right now, and it sucks dick." Daryl walks next to her and leans against the bumper, staring down at her small hands surprisingly working well with the engine. How the hell had she learned to fix a car? That didn't seem like something the brunette would do.

"Jesus, ya aint helpless, Lucy. Yer injured. It happens to everyone. Stop sayin' that shit." She chuckles, removing the wrench from her hands and grabbing another tool from the small box that laid next to her.

"Ok, Mr. Feisty," she giggles, getting back to the engine.

"Aint feisty," he mumbles, staring at her hands working away. He couldn't help himself. "How the hell are ya so good with cars?" She smiles.

"Remember Quinn?" she chuckles. He snorts.

"How can I not? Ya talk about her all the time." Lucy rolls her eyes.

"Sure, but after my dad kicked me out, I _did _stay with her and her family. Her dad taught me a lot of the stuff I know now. Fixin' up cars, how to use the knives properly, gun aiming, took me out hunting with Quinn...he was a good man. I don't know if he's still alive or not. I'd like to think he is. Same with her mother. She was amazingly sweet. She taught me how to actually be a girl, something that my mother never had the time to do because she was always cowering from my father. I didn't blame her though. Sometimes I would, too." Daryl decides to let the conversation stream away from her parents. He knew by now it was a sensitive topic.

"What'd she teach ya?" he asks. She shrugs.

"Typical women stuff. How to cook and how to do wash. She taught me all of the medical stuff I know because she was a nurse. When I had Sam she was really the one there to help me be the mother I wanted to be while Quinn was there to help me academically. She was the valedictorian of her class, you know." He rolls his eyes, his arms crossing.

"Really?" he asks with fake interest. She rolls her own.

"Oh, shut up. Both of them kept me going when shit went down with my parents...and everything after that. Quinn was like an aunt to Sam. I just pray her and her family are still alive. I know they are. I can feel it." She removes another tool and then grabs another going even deeper into the engine. He bites his lip, wonderin' if he should ask the next question that was on his mind.

"Ya were so young...why'd ya keep Sam?" She stops working for a second and sands still, and Daryl mentally curses at himself for asking such a dumb fucking question. Lucy loved Sam more than anything in the world. Why the fuck would he ask that?! A moment later she went back to what she was doing. "I shouldn't have asked tha-"

"Daryl, it's fine," she states quietly. She straightens her back and faces him. "I guess I just couldn't. I don't believe in abortion and all that crap. I believe that everything happens for a reason. My family being the way it was, my life at school, getting raped...all of it was to make me stronger, and if having Sam was part of the package, then I took it. I wasn't going to give her away because I had to endure the path that faith carved out for me. This was what I had to do. But I love her now, more than myself. I wasn't expecting it at all. It was like a punch to the gut. I was expecting to not be able to take care of her or anything, but as soon as I saw her eyes that first time...I knew everything would be alright."

She turns back to the car and sighs.

"They helped me until I could really be the mother by myself. Quinn's folks, I mean. I love them like they are my family. Sam loves them. I wish they could be here. I remember Quinn's mom taught me french one day while I was trying to get Sam to fall asleep. Comes in handy every once and a while." He quirks an eyebrow.

"French?" he asks. She nods. "Speak it." She grins.

"_Dáccord. Est-ce une preuve suffisante pour vous, Daryl? Ou avez-vous besoin de plus_?" She spoke easily, the french accents and words rolling off her tongue like she spoke it fluently. His eyebrows rose in surprise at her speaking. Another fact about her that he didn't know, and damn if it didn't turn him on when she spoke like that.

"The hell did ya say?" he chuckles. She turns back to the car.

"I said 'Ok. Is this enough proof for you, Daryl? Or do you need more?'" She smiles at him. "I speak it when I get super angry. Be thankful you haven't seen those tantrums yet. They're scary enough to scare away the grim reaper." She grabs the keys from the top of the hood, her hands now covered in dirt and oil, and she reaches into the car. She places the key into the ignition and the engine blares up no problem, like it had never been broken in the first place. She smiles again. "There you go!"

She pulls back and walks back to the front of the truck. Daryl was staring at her in aw. She giggles a bit. "What?" she asks. He looks away, shaking his head.

"Is there anything ya can't do?" he asks, looking back, an eyebrow raised. She mockingly thinks for a second before shaking her head.

"No," she replies, then laughs. "Hey, I just been through a lot. Know some shit." She turns back to the prison. "I should probably get in there before Sam wakes up. She'll be scared if she finds no one in there. I'll see you later, okay?" She turns away and begins to walk back to the gate. His voice stops her.

"Lucy!" he exclaims. She turns around, a questioning look on her face. For a moment, a split second, he thinks of telling her everything, how he felt and why he did the stuff he did, why he protected her and Sam so much. What he wanted with them. But of course, he chickens out, his confidence dwindling as soon as Lucy looks at him. "Good...good job with the truck. Yer good." She smiles.

"Thanks Daryl. I'm sure you would have figured it out sooner or later. I just sped it up." She throws another smile and turns back, walking back to where her daughter was. He actually smiles a bit, but soon punches the rag that was in his other hand in anger at himself. He shakes his head, turning back to the now running vehicle.

"Grow some balls, Dixon," he mumbles, going back to forcing his concentration on the car. She may have gotten it running, but there were still some problems. He needed this, and he would figure out what was going on with Carol soon enough. Even so, Lucy was still on his mind as his fingers worked. No matter how hard he tried she would stay, her smile, her laugh, everything.

~%~

It was later in the day when Lucy resurfaced again outside in the bright summer air, or whatever season it was in Georgia. It always seemed warm there anyway. At least in New York, you knew when it was fall, winter, spring, or summer. In Georgia, you didn't know shit unless you had lived there your whole life, which Lucy had not. She missed snow and the cold. She always loved the cold. Maybe she was just weird, but right now all she felt was that it was way too hot.

"Mommy?" Lucy looks down at the small girl next to her. Sam's hand was wrapped around hers tightly, hiding behind Lucy's leg. Her face had lightened up a bit from the bruises, but the scratches near the back of her head were clearly visible. "Is green eyes gone?" she asks quietly. Lucy nods, looking around the yard. The kids were playing again, a few of them playing catch. Lucy could tell Sam wanted to play with them. She was just scared.

"He's gone, sweetie. Trust me. He's not gonna hurt you again. He's locked away." Sam nods, taking a nervous step out from behind Lucy. She gingerly feels the scars on her face and sighs.

"Are they gonna make fun of me?" she asks sadly, looking up at her mother. Lucy snorts, leaning down to her daughter eye level.

"Hell no. And if they do, I'll beat them for it. No one makes fun of my little girl. Now go have fun." Sam smiles and runs off to play with the little kids, a bit of her dark brown hair falling out of her ponytail. Lucy smiles and crosses her arms, watching Sam run up to the kids. One of them stares at the scars on her cheeks and starts to say something, but one of the little boys elbows her in the side, telling the little kid to shut it.

Sam doesn't cry, but a smile appears instead. Thank God.

"Hey," she hears behind her. Lucy turns around and sees that Beth was walking up to her. "How you feeling?" Lucy shrugs.

"Meh, sort of good, sort of bad. I still feel pain in the back of my head, but other than that everything else seems to be in order." Beth smiles.

"That's good. We were all worried about you and Sam yesterday. Speaking of Sam, how is she?" Lucy sighs.

"Better, but she still has those scars, and she kept having some nightmares last night. I was always able to quiet her down before she woke up Daryl or anyone." One of Beth's eyebrow raise.

"Daryl?" she asks. Lucy's cheeks redden, finally realizing what she said.

"We didn't...I didn't...she, I-Oh fuck it," she mumbles. Beth laughs.

"Don't worry. Your secrets safe with me," she chuckles. Lucy's eyes widen.

"No, I didn't do anything like...like _that. _He just slept with us...and kept us safe," she adds on afterwards. Beth chuckles.

"It's ok, Lucy. It's sort of obvious you two are into each other." Lucy's brow furrows.

"Really?" she mumbles. Beth nods.

"Really," she snickers. "I mean, he always looks at you and keeps both you and Sam protected from the people in here. And it was pretty obvious Carol wanted him too." Lucy rolls her eyes.

"Carol," she mumbles. Beth shrugs.

"Carol was kicked out anyway, so you don't have competition. At least none I know of." Lucy's eyes widen again.

"Wait...what?!" she yells. "She's gone? When did this happen?"

"She was the one who killed Karen and David, as well as helped Marcus with all his killings. Marcus had the idea but she helped him." Lucy was right! Carol had helped him! She huffs, looking down at the ground.

"That's great," she says. "Finally, we don't have to worry about them anymore," she laughs a bit. "Sam's safe and so is everyone else. But all those people..." Beth nods, sighing a bit.

"Yeah," she mumbles. "It sucks, but we gotta move on. Daddy says we all got jobs to do." Lucy smiles at her.

"Yeah, we do." Her brow furrows. "Speaking of your daddy, how has he been doing with all those patients in D-Block? Are they getting any better?" Beth nods.

"Much better! I'm so happy for the people in there. My daddy really has a great brain for this sort of stuff." Lucy smiles even wider.

"Yeah, he is." She sighs, watching her little girl play with the kids. Everything seemed ok now. "I think we'll all be fine. Glenn, your dad, my daughter...all of us. We're gonna be just fine." Beth smiles at her.

"So optimistic." Lucy shrugs.

"Gotta stay positive," she replies. She nods towards the door. "Come on. They're far away from the gate. Let's head inside for a minute. It's hot."

~%~

**Review please? :) Luv ya!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Thank you to the following people for reviewing!**

Kima Wolfwood

Dragon

**Your reviews always mean so much! And thank you to the new followers as well as favorites! They always make my day!**

**Just to clear some stuff up, this chapter is AFTER the Governor came to the prison, and everyone was spread out in different directions. Just wanted to let people know before questions were asked. **

**Now, on with the story!**

~%~

Lucy swats another bug away as it tries to bite her skin, sending it to the ground on impact. She glares at the little winged creature. She fucking hated mosquitos. They made her flesh crawl, literally and figuratively. Now, since she was literally in the middle of God knows where, she really was not in the mood to deal with those stupid little bastards.

She sighs, bringing her knees up to her chest. She wraps her arms around them and quietly glances around the dense forest they were camping in for the night. It was peaceful, all the crickets chirping, looking for someone else of their kind or just making the calm music that was the soundtrack for for this time of the day. Lucy would have almost found it humane.

If it wasn't for what happened two weeks ago.

She growls slightly at the memory, but feels the pain and sorrow envelop her a moment later. She places her head between her knees and begs herself not to cry. She already did that the first few days. She was out of tears by now, and she wasn't about to start them up again, but then Hershel came to mind, and everyone else who had been killed, hurt.

"Aw, fuck," she hissed when she moved her leg. When she had gotten out of the prison the first time, she couldn't find Sam anywhere. As she had gone back in to get her, she was shot in the leg, thanks to one of the Governors men. Their life had been ended in a matter of seconds afterwards. She had found Sam hiding under one of the benches. Smart.

Even so, they got out, but since Lucy hadn't gotten any sort of treatment for the bullet wound, even after two weeks, it still hurt like a bitch. During the night it seemed to hurt even more.

She sighs, trying to move her leg as slow as possible so that it won't hurt as much. She hated that the people she had grown so close to, who had become a family to her, were all gone. There was absolutely no possible way that she could find them now. She did NOT know the state of Georgia at all, so she did not know her way around. Hershel was gone. Fucking Governor bastard.

If he was still alive, she would kill him. Stab him, do whatever...he was the first man in a long time that gave her that father figure. Him and Quinn's dad. Only those two, but she knew Hershel was dead, and she didn't know where the hell Quinn or her family was. She didn't know where they were, or Maggie, or Beth, or Rick...she didn't know where anyone was.

Daryl.

That brought a bit of pain onto her now calmed body. She was so fucking stupid. She shouldn't have even gotten _close _to him, let alone come to like him like that. She didn't even know if he liked her in that way. She knew he cared about her, but after everything that's just happened...she was really doubtful that anything like that could ever happen. She was so fucking reluctant now to get close to anyone.

She stares at the fire she had started late last night, which had started to die down. She wanted so badly to find another place that she could fix that would have heat. It got chilly during the night. She could only imagine what winter would be like when it came. She had experienced the heat of Georgia. She wasn't quite ready to experience the cold.

The first bird tweeting broke her train of thought and she glanced off to where she could see the sun rising. She didn't get a wink of sleep the entire night. Stepping up, she pats out the fire with her boot and turns to her sleeping daughter. At least she could still get a bit of sleep after what happened.

That was something else that disturbed her. Ever since the prison she had been shockingly quiet. She still smiled and laughed when she could, but she usually kept her mouth shut when they were walking or getting ready to go to sleep. She would always talk during those times, try to keep things bright with her laugh, but now...even after Marcus she was able to gain back a bit of her old self. Noe she was quiet.

It creeped her out a bit.

She kneels on the ground, placing her hand on Sam's arm, shaking her slightly. She moans in protest. Lucy chuckles. "Come on, baby. Wake up. We gotta get moving." Sam turns over and squints her eyes up at her mother, the sleep still very much evident.

"Really?" she whispers. Lucy nods. She sighs, nodding her head. "Ok." Lucy smiles, stepping up.

"That's my girl," she states. "We'll be fine, don't worry. Just gotta find someplace to stay in for the day." Sam nods, finally able to stand. She walks next to her mother and sees the wound on her leg.

"Does it hurt?" she asks. Lucy looks down at her daughter curiously and then looks at the wound. She smiles, flattered that her daughter was still concerned about the bullet wound. Lucy shakes her head.

"Not as much as the first few days. I'm fine now, though. But don't you worry about me. We gotta get going. I'll be ok." Sam nods and Lucy begins to walk, Sam keeping a steady pace next to her. Lucy takes a quick glance down at Sam's cuts on her cheek and saw they were starting to fade. They would still scar, but they wouldn't be as bad as she thought they were going to be.

That was about the highlight of her day so far.

"Mommy?" she asks quietly. Lucy nods at her daughter, telling her to go on. "Will we ever see Mr. Daryl again?" Lucy looks down at the ground at this, feeling her emotions starting to get the best of her. Patting up the bit of courage she had left in her pathetic body, she looks down at Sam and bites her lip.

"I...I don't know," she stutters, looking away again. She couldn't look at the disappointment on her daughters face. "I didn't see him when we got out...but I know he's okay. About seeing him...he could be anywhere in Georgia by now...seeing him is really rare. It might be a long time before we could even think about seeing him, but you never know. He could be right under our noses and we would't know."

Sam looks away, back at the dirt on the ground. "Okay," she mumbles, rubbing her arm. She would miss him. A lot.

Lucy looks back at her daughter and sighs. She knew this would be taken hard on the little girl. Out of everyone at the prison, the one person Sam gravitated towards had been Daryl, and now he was gone. She stops walking and leans down to Sam's height, balancing on the pads of her feet. Sam's face snaps up and she looks at her with a confused expression.

"I know you're sad that he's not here. So am I." Sam looks back down, clearly being discovered. "But we _will _be okay without him. We did well before, didn't we?" Sam nods softly. "We'll do fine now. Trust me." Sam nods, her shoulders sagging a bit.

"I miss him," she mumbles. Lucy sighs.

"I do too," she replies, taking the little girl in her arms.

"I thought you and him were together," she states. Lucy's eyes widen, her brow furrowing. She places Sam where she could see her and smiles a bit.

"Why?" she snickers. Sam shrugs.

"You were always near each other. And he stares at you and protects you. I thought..." she trails off afterwards, looking down at the ground. "It's stupid," she mumbles. Lucy tilts her head up.

"It's not stupid," she snickers. "I think it's cute. I...I do like him. You know this...but to get close to someone in this world is crazy. I already have you to worry about. I don't think I could handle him." Sam nods a bit.

"Can you carry me?" she murmurs. Lucy laughs, nodding her head and taking the young girl into her arms. Sam lets out a rare smile and actually giggles a bit as she's lifted up into her mothers arms. Lucy groans mockingly.

"Jeez! Gotta lay off the rabbit, Sam!" Words she never thought she would say. Sam sticks out her tongue.

"I like rabbit, though," she replies. More words she never thought she would hear. Lucy chuckles, turning her head back to the path in front of her.

"Sure, Sam. Whatever you say."

~%~

It was around the middle of the day when they finally took a break. Well, half of it was because they were tired, and the other half was because they had found a nice small town they could probably board up a bit for the night. They just needed to find some food.

"Mommy, my leg hurts," Sam mumbled after a while. They had almost gotten caught in a herd of walkers and had to run literally as fast as they could to get away. Sam had tripped on a branch that had been growing out of the ground and hurt her ankle, but she actually ignored the pain and kept running alongside her mother.

She was one tough kid, but now she was pushing the stubbornness. She needed to rest. Lucy nods and stops, sitting down on one of the many rocks that were sprung about on the ground. This place must have been very rural. There wasn't a city in sight.

"Ok. Come here," Lucy states, gesturing Sam to sit next to her. Sam hops up onto the rock, right next to her mother, sighing in pleasure as she finally sat down. "Give me your foot." Sam swings her leg up onto her mothers bars ones and Lucy carefully takes Sam's small foot in her hands. Scanning her eyes to her ankle, she bites her lip as she sees the damage. It wasn't broken, but it was defiantly sprained.

"What's wrong?" Sam asks at seeing her mothers concerned face.

"You are one tough kid," Lucy mumbles. "You ran all this way on a sprained ankle and didn't stop until now." Sam's eyes widen.

"Does that mean I can't walk?" she states. Lucy purses her lip, thinking hard about this.

"I would not suggest it," she finally says. "I was kidding about you being heavy before, but I might have to carry you for a while until we find a safe enough place to settle down."

"But why can't I walk?" she pouts. Lucy smiles sadly.

"Because if you walk then it'll only get worse. We don't need the ankle getting worse." She looks around the small town and sighs. "Maybe in one of these houses," she mumbles, standing up. She bends her back over for Sam to climb on. "Come on. We'll find some place to settle down and eat. Get that ankle fixed up a bit."

Sam smiles and throws her arms around Lucy's neck. Lucy grabs Sam's legs under her arms and Sam giggles again. Lucy didn't know when the last time was that she gave Sam a piggyback ride, but all she knew right now was that Sam was happy and smiling, even with the sprained ankle.

Lucy made sure to keep a lookout for walkers, keeping a knife in one of her hands just in case, but for now it seemed clear. There was a shit ton of a houses down one of the blocks of the small town, and Lucy made her way down it as quick as possible. One house was small enough, but the door seemed a bit flimsy. She walks over and examines the hinges and sees one of them was close to falling off. It was a simple fix, though.

"Here," she says, placing Sam down on the ground. "Lean against the post for a minute. I'm gonna secure this door and then we can go inside, ok?" Sam nods and leans her body against the post that was connecting the porch fence. It was a nice small house, something that Lucy might have considered if the world wasn't crap.

Hell, it looked a whole lot better then her apartment back in New York.

She takes out a multitool she had found when they had been raiding a store, and slip it into the screwdriver mode. Taking the door, she fastens the bolts on the hinges as quick as possible. As soon as she finishes, though, she hears the growling of something inside, and then the whimper of something else. Her brow furrows.

"Sam, stay back," she mentions to the girl. Stepping away from the door slowly, she pulls out her knife again and places her other hand on the knob. She waits until the growls come closer, and as soon as they reach the door, she blasts it open. Almost instantly a walker stumbles out, trying to eat her, but the tip of her knife soon found its way into the skull.

Lucy cringes as she pulls it out, some of the blood splattering onto her face. The walker stumbles to the ground and she kicks it to the side, but an idea pops in her head. Taking her hands, she drags it out to the front porch and places it at the bottom steps. The smell would lure away the walkers and think there was nothing in the house.

She turns back to Sam who had been watching all of this with a calm expression. She knew her mother would be fine with the walkers. She always was. The only thing that hurt now was the ankle.

"You ok?" Lucy asks. Sam nods a bit.

"Just my ankle," she replies. Lucy nods and opens the door fully, taking Sam in her arms again, and goes inside. She could have sworn she heard the whimpering of something before.

She lays Sam down on the rusty, old couch that lay in the first room they were in, and Lucy stands up, taking a quick glance around the house. It was two stories, but not that huge. The kitchen was right to the left and a bathroom to the right.

"Stay here," she says, running off into the kitchen to see if there might be some food. As soon as she walks in, she regrets it.

A lot.

There was a dead german shepherd on the ground as well as all its puppies, its guts being brutally eaten and destroyed. All of them were dead, and that walker she had just killed must have been the reason behind all of it. She stares in shock and horror for a second before recoiling a bit. She needed to find food and medical supplies. That was the mission.

As she walks over to the cabinets, knowing the fridge would be a complete waste of time, she opens to the inside to see some canned foods. Some nuts, few raisins, and also a small can of peaches, which brought a smile to her face. That had been the first morning she had actually seen Daryl for who he is. A frown came onto her face a moment later, realizing she was probably never going to see him again.

"Ah...I hate life," she mumbles, grabbing the three cans. As she moves to step away from the dead corpses and back into the living room to give Sam the pick, she stops still in her tracks as she hears it again.

The whimper.

Looking around, she places the food on the counter and takes a peak on the ground. Maybe one of the puppies was still alive...no, they were all fucked up. There was no way.

She looks in the corners and finally, in the lower right hand one, near the window that gave her a view of the forest, she sees what it was.

It was a puppy. Just not a hurt one.

A terrified one.

A little baby german shepherd, cowering into itself as if she was going to eat it.

"Oh shit," she mumbles. "Hey...hey, boy. I'm not gonna hurt you. It's fine. You'll be fine." The dog continues to whimper. She sighs, looking over at the food. Maybe she could lure it out. She was sure Sam would choose the peaches.

"Mommy?" Sam asks, confused to what her mother was doing.

"I'll be in there in a second, honey," she replies, walking over to the food. She opens up the can of buts and pours some into her hands. She knew nuts could be eaten by dogs. She had fed some to a few back in New York. She gently makes her way towards the dog, trying not to scare it off. "Hey boy...I got some food for you. Some really good nuts. Here, you want them?"

She lays them down on the ground and the pup gingerly makes its way towards the nuts. She stands still in her kneeling position. As the pup finally reaches them, it sniffs around for a bit before chewing on one of them gratefully. She lays more down on the ground until she had some in her hands. The pup made its way towards the one in her hands a lot slower then the ones she placed on the ground.

It sniffs her hand, seeing if she was a threat at all, but after a thorough investigation, he places-yes, he...she saw the evidence-his tiny paws on her knee and leans up, eating the nuts out of her hands. She smiles.

"There you go. See? Not all bad." She still needed to find some stuff to patch up Sam. "Want more?" She gets up and lures the dog into the living room, slowly so she wouldn't scare the pup away. As she makes her way into the room, Sammy gasps.

"A PUPPY!" she yells, startling the dog who runs back a bit.

"Shh!" Lucy hushes at her. Sam covers her mouth with her hand but keeps her eyes on the puppy. Lucy turns back to the dog. "Don't worry, she's just surprised. It's fine. I have some food, remember?" The pup comes closer again, and Lucy kept walking until she hit the small coffee table that sat in the middle of the room. She places the nuts on the ground and lets the dog eat. She turns to Sam. "Don't touch him. He might scurry off."

Sam nods.

"I'm gonna get some stuff for that ankle. Just watch the dog...and don't go in the kitchen," she states, remembering the dead dogs. Sam nods. Lucy goes off into the bathroom, but Sam was mesmerized by the cute dog in front of her. A smile popped onto her face again.

"Hi puppy."

~%~

Later, Lucy sat next to Sam, trying to bandage up the little but swollen ankle on Sam's body. Sam's attention was on something completely different, which was the puppy in front of them, who Lucy had decided to give all the nuts too. The dog needed it, especially after what happened to his family. Lucy could see why Sam was happy to see a dog. They hadn't seen one since the shit storm started.

"Can we keep him?" Sam suddenly asks. Lucy bites her lip, keeping her concentration on wrapping the bandage.

"I don't know, Sammy," she replies, taking a quick glance at the dog.

"Please?" she asks again, her bottom lip sticking out. Lucy rolls her eyes.

"Dogs take a lot of responsibility, honey. We'd have to find food for him, teach him how to hunt...all those things in this world seem impossible." She takes another look at the dog and feels her heart melt when she sees the pup had stopped eating and was now begging to come up on the couch, it's small tail wagging. Sam had must have convinced it to come to her.

"Hi puppy," she repeats, reaching her hand out to the small animal. It sniffs it, and then begins to lick her fingers. She giggles. Lucy sighs, tying up the bandage.

"Fine," she agrees. Sam looks up at her, away from the puppy. "We can keep him." Sam smiles at her mother and turns back to the puppy. "What should we name him?"

Both were silent for a second before Sam spat out a name. "Hunter!" she says. "Because they hunt...right?" she asks, a but confused. Lucy chuckles.

"Yeah, they do," she confirms. "Hunter. I like that." She turns to the puppy. "You like that boy?" Hunter waves his tail and lets out a high pitched bark. She could only expect it. He was still a puppy. She didn't even know how the mother took care of him let alone a litter of puppies. She looks at Sam and smiles a bit. "How's that ankle doing?"

"It hurts a little," she states quietly, brining the puppy up onto her lap. "But you took care of it. I think it'll be better tomorrow." Lucy smiles even brighter at seeing her pet Hunter behind his ears. He seemed to like it.

"That's good," she replies. "We gotta get some dog food." This was muttered, as she was not that excited to search for dog food. "Here, eat the peaches and I'll eat the raisins. Gotta get at least a bit of food into our system before tomorrow." Sam nods, taking the can in her hands. Lucy had already opened the top, so the little girl immediately started to dig into the sweet fruit.

As Lucy dug into the raisins, which she knew would have a negative effect on her later, she thought about the dog, who was still eating the nuts on the ground. She felt so bad for him. He watched his mother get eaten right in front of him. She was surprised he still wasn't traumatized. Guess he just needed a bit of food.

When Lucy reached the bottom of the can, a sound outside made her stop chewing and ended up with her snapping her head towards the window. It sounded like a car door closing. She turns to Sam, who froze at the sound.

"Stay here and keep Hunter safe. I'll check it out." Sam nods and holds Hunter close to her chest, almost in a tight grip, as the pup was squirming a bit. "Let the grip loosen a bit, sweetie," she quickly advices. Sam looks down at the puppy and then back at Lucy, nodding and letting her grip on the dog turn softer. Hunter stopped moving and layer in her arms.

Lucy grabs a gun she had found earlier in one of the bedrooms and loads it as quick as possible, walking towards the door. She takes a quick look outside near the window and sees three figures as well as a car light that silhouetted them. She open the door and points the rifle, aiming right for the head of the first body. The three men heard the gun loading and pointed their guns at her, seeing the shadow of her body on the ground from the light.

"Who are you?" one of them asks from the back. Lucy stays quiet. "You tell us and we won't shoot."

"Look, I'm just staying here for the night because my daughter and I needed to rest. We got food and all that. We don't need any more trouble then we've already received!" she yells to them so she wouldn't show her face.

"Lucy?!"

Her eyes widen at the voice and she lowers her gun slightly, though it was still raised if one of the other two decided to intervene. She knew that voice. She knew that from before this zombie world, someone she hadn't seen in forever. Her eyes then narrow as she tries to see who the men was, stepping out of the dark and into the light.

She drops the gun. Tears come to her eyes.

The first thing she saw was the dark blonde hair, very messy and growing over his ears. She didn't blame him though. There wasn't a barber anywhere. Next was his dark green eyes, darker then most. But she knew that voice. She knew who that was.

"Mr. Harris?" she asks quietly, not even believing he was there. He lowered his own weapon, which she had seen was a rifle. He walks over and she smiles thankfully, letting out a happy laugh. Quinn's father embraces her tightly as she does the same. He was alive...and down here. Did that mean that Quinn was there too?! "I can't believe you're safe!" she says. He pulls back and smiles.

"I'm not surprised you are. After everything that's happened to you I know you're street smart." Lucy smiles.

"Thank you," she chuckles.

"Where's Sammy?" he asks.

"Probably hiding inside. Told her to stay and not to move." Mr. Harris nods.

"She's four now, correct?" he asks. She nods, her smile falling a bit into a soft smirk.

"Yup. Very smart, if I do say so myself." He laughs. Quinn kept ringing in her mind. "If you're here...then-"

"Yes, Quinn is with us. Well...not here with us right now, but back at headquarters. So is Marie." Quinn's mother. "Joey." Her eyes widen at this. He had been one of her closest friends when she went to college. How the hell did he end up down here? "And Tara." And that's what did it for her. Tara had also been a friend of Quinn as well as herself, but since elementary school. How was all her friends still in one place and she got stuck in the middle of nowhere?!

"Can I-"

"Don't even finish the question. Of course you can come back."

"PATRICK!" one of the men yell at him. Mr. Harris turns to him with a glare.

"Be quiet or you'll attract the lurkers!" he says first off, and the other man shuts his mouth. "Secondly, she's the person Quinn talks about all the time. Remember?" The mans eyes widen.

"Lucy?!" he asks amazed. "But I though Quinn said she had bl-"

"Doesn't matter. She's coming back. Get Sammy and we'll leave as soon as possible." Lucy smiles widely and nods, running back inside. She was going to see Quinn. She. Was going. To see. QUINN! She felt her heart pounding in anticipation, sweat beginning to form. She was seeing her again! After two weeks of pain and torture, trying to find a place to stay, she found somewhere...with Quinn.

"Mommy?" Sam says shocked when Lucy bursts through the door. Lucy smiles at her, taking the young girl up into her arms in a spur of the moment movement. Sam squeals and the puppy barks. Lucy kisses the top of her head.

"We're gonna be okay, sweetie. We're gonna be okay!" Sam looks at her mommy with a confused expression.

"What's going on?" she asks, her head tilting.

"Remember Quinn?" Lucy asks excitedly.

"Yeah," Sam replies, still staring at her mother curiously. The dog was moving around in her hands. When the smile on Lucy's face didn't vanish, the realization popped up onto Sam's face, and her own bubbly spirit came onto her. "We're seeing Quinn?!" she asks happily.

"We're seeing Quinn!" Lucy repeats, grabbing their stuff and heading outside. Sam giggles as she goes through the door, and the puppy barks at the sudden noise. "Thank you so much, Mr. Harris." He places a hand up in the air.

"Please, it's fine. You're family." Lucy smiles. "And please, call me Patrick. You're not a little girl anymore." Lucy laughs.

"Ok, Patrick," she chuckles. Sam looks up at him curiously from Lucy's arms. Patrick looks at her with a smile.

"Hello, Sammy. Are you feeling good?" he asks. Sam smiles at him. She remembered his face.

"Mm-Hmm," she replies. "My ankle hurts, though." Patricks looks at Lucy with a concerned look. Lucy sighs.

"We were running from walkers and she got her ankle screwed up." He nods.

"Walkers?" he asks first off. She shrugs. "We can get that fixed up back home. It's not that far, maybe a thirty mile drive. We were just scouting the area to find some more guns when we found you. Matt, George, start up the car!" he yells to the other two men. They nod and run over to the pick up truck, its lights turning even brighter as the car starts.

"Is this place safe?" she finally asks as they walk on over there. "For a dog too?" she adds at hearing the dog yawn a bit. Patrick nods, a happy smile adoring his lips.

"Plenty of people, and animals," he states, taking a quick glance at the tired puppy. "Food, heat, electricity...it's amazing. You'll be safe." Lucy smiles. Daryl may not be there, which still hurt so much, and the rest of the prison group, but Quinn was, and so were her friends. And they would be safe.

They would be safe. That's all that mattered.

~%~

**Review please? :) Luv ya!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Thank you to the following reviewers for reviewing on my story!**

DixonGrimes

mrskaz453

Victoria Amoss

Kima Wolfwood

TeamComrade11

**You guys are amazing! And thank you to the new followers and favorites! Awesome! Now let's move on with the story. I gotta say I'm pretty excited for this chapter! :)**

**~%~**

Lucy had her head near the window, a bright smile on her face and the wind blowing through her hair as the truck they were in made its way down some abandoned highway. She didn't know where the hell they were, or where they were going exactly, but she knew that it was at least far from where they had been a half hour ago. She felt free, happy...and just relieved.

Sam had fallen asleep as soon as the car started. She had been so tired of walking on feet for days that being in a car was like a one way trip to heaven for her. Lucy also saw that the pups energy seemed to have died down as well, and Hunter now was laying Sam's small lap, his head on her thigh, probably trying to get to sleep.

Mr. Harris was driving the car, keeping his eyes on the road while the other two men sat in the back. Lucy was happy to see Quinn's father again, who apparently was ok with her calling him Patrick, but the excitement that was building up in her body at seeing Quinn again couldn't match to anything else she had felt in those past two weeks.

"So," she hears from the back, breaking the steady silence they had for the past half hour. "You're Lucy. Quinn, Joey, and Tara...they talk about you all the time. Mostly Quinn, though." Lucy looks behind her and sees the man, who's name was Matt, she found out, talking to her. She smiles.

"Yeah, I am," she replies.

"I'm guessing you and her are very close?" Lucy nods.

"Very. Been through a lot together." The other man, George, snorts a bit.

"You don't look like how she described you to me." Lucy's brow furrows, turning her eyes to the other man. He had black hair that was messy, sticking out in all different directions, and dark green eyes. He sort of reminded her of an apocalypse version of Harry Potter. He just needed to replace the rifle in his arms with a wand and he would be his own Halloween costume.

"How did she describe me to you?"

"Blonde hair, muscular." She snorts at the description, thinking back to college.

"Well, muscular I still am. My legs are. I was a dancer before all this at NYU, also in the musical theater major. the blonde hair was because for a small while in college I dyed it a dark blonde color to match hers. I never really liked my hair."

"Which I thought was always very funny," Mr. Harris stated. "You always wanted Quinn's hair, but Quinn always wanted yours. She had brown hair for a little while." Lucy laughed.

"Yeah, I remember that! We were some pretty messed up people back then." Mr. Harris shakes his head.

"You were just experimenting. It's natural for people your age to do that." Lucy smiles at him. See, that was why she liked Patrick. Her dad would have never let her do something like that with him knowing. She would have to sneak it behind his back. Patrick knew that it was normal for teenagers to feel the way they felt, or do the things they did. As long as they did it with precaution then it was fine.

Her dad would have beaten her to the bone if he saw what she did to her hair. He hated it when people did that, and seeing his own daughter would be a death sentence to herself.

"Tell me about that Joey kid. How long have you and him been friends?" Lucy bites her lip at the memory of them meeting, trying to prevent herself from laughing loudly. It had been quite awkward.

"Well...since I went to NYU there was a shit ton of coffee shops around the area. When I was off of class the first day of freshman year, I was heading to Central Park to see Quinn and tell her about it. I was also making the stupid decision of reading a book while I went. Not knowing where the hell I was going, Joey had stumbled out of a Starbucks, frappachino in hands, and guess where it went? All over my new white blouse."

The two men in the back laughed while Mr. Harris snickered fondly. He was there when she first told the story.

"What was his reaction?" Matt asks. Lucy snorts.

"He didn't really have one! I was the one who was freaking out and saying sorry. He said it was fine with that damn smirk on his face, even though I knew it wasn't. From that point on, we were friends. He really is a great guy to be around, always making people laugh."

"Don't we know it," George grumbles. "He's the prankster of the whole entire mill."

"Sounds like Joey," she chuckles.

"And when did you pick up on his...uh-"

"Gaydar?" Lucy finished for Matt. He nods, a faint tint of red coming over his cheeks. She laughs a bit. "Probably about three months into freshman year. I never had a crush on him or anything. He was just a close friend of mine, but Quinn, Joey and I all went to a party at one of the fraternities. They had some alcohol, but Quinn and I only had a few sips. Joey, on the other hand, ended up having three in one night."

"You guys drank?" Mr. Harris asks, astonished.

"Only a little! It was NOTHING compared to Joey," she defended. "Anyway, Quinn was with a few of the girls and I was heading off to the bathroom to use it, but when I turned the corner, Joey was face to face with one of the guys from there, lip locking like crazy. God, I was so embarrassed to have caught him in that situation, and he never even knew I saw it until a few months afterwards. Jeez, college," she chuckles.

"You miss it?" Matt asks. She shrugs.

"At times, but...the past couple of months have been great for me. Just...the two weeks that just passed have been hard." Mr. Harris looks at her with a curious eyes, looking for answers.

"Who were you with all this time?" he asks softly. "By yourself or..."

"It's...a long story," Lucy sighs, feeling the pain and regret once again seep over her as she remembered the prison being burnt to the ground. "I..want to wait until we get to the place to explain everything. Me, Sam, who I was with...I want Quinn and the rest to be there when I talk." Mr. Harris nods, not saying another word.

Quiet came upon the car again for the next twenty minutes, but when Lucy saw lights come into view, her heart speed picked up and she started to get jittery. Every single fiber in her body was moving. The car came closer and closer, and Lucy felt her hand going to the handle on the door. When the car stopped, Mr. Harris tells her to stay put.

"Why?" she asks desperately.

"So you don't wake up Sam. George, take the little girl inside first so that the screaming doesn't wake her up." George grumbles lowly but nods, taking the sleeping girl in his arms and heading inside before Quinn could see. Lucy looks at Mr. Harris with a raised eyebrow. "He's a nice guy, just been through a lot. His intentions are good. Wait in here until you see Quinn."

Lucy nods and Mr. Harris nods at Matt, who followed him wordlessly out of the car and into the long building the group was in. She was thinking about that guy. Him and Mr. Harris seemed to have some sort of story. She wondered who he was exactly.

A moment later she sees the door open and three figures step outside. One was Mr. Harris, and the other two she recognized as soon as she laid her eyes on them. Stepping out of the car slowly, she focused on Marie first, or Mrs. Harris. Her blonde hair had streaks of gray in it, but she still looked good for her age. Not that tall as her daughter but tall enough, she was the standing image of the younger girl.

Then it was Quinn.

She looked a bit older, her green eyes shining in the moon and the brightness from the few lights the building had to offer. Her face was in complete and utter shock. Lucy sort of just stood there, marveling at her best friend.

Then both broke out into a run.

They met in the middle, arms encircling the other, tears being shed. They even seemed to cry in sync.

"I thought I lost you," Quinn sobbed into Lucy's shoulder, her arms tight around her waist. Lucy buried her face into Quinn's messy head of curls, holding her close to her. She hadn't felt this close in ages.

"I'm right here," she says softly, trying to calm herself down. "I'm right here, and I'm never leaving again."

She knew deep down she wanted to find her family, find Beth and Maggie.

To find Daryl.

But now that Quinn was here?

She couldn't even think about that right now. All she knew was that she felt Quinn, actually felt her. It wasn't some weird mirage or anything like that. She was really here in front of her.

And she would not let go.

**~%~**

Lucy was sore. Her body finally felt like it was on fire after two weeks of running on pure adrenaline. Maybe it was the fact that she was finally relaxing in a place she knew was safe, or that Quinn was to her right, her bright smile keeping her going, but she felt like hell had descended upon her body.

That was until she got actual food from them. Actual, used to be living food, that was not in a stinking can.

She dug into it greedily as did Sam. She had woken up when she heard her mother crying, but as soon as she saw Quinn again, she knew her mommy wasn't hurt. Just happy. Hunter was eating some dog food next to her, but she stayed quiet, happily eating the-what was it? Chicken?-that was in front of her.

"How's Sam doing?" Lucy asks Quinn, who sat next to her. Sam had been taken into another room to deal with her ankle, and Quinn had seen a bit of the procedure. Quinn nods.

"Well. She's a little fighter. Usually a kid would be hurting right now but she hasn't made a sound. Then again, she's eating at the same time." Quinn looks back at Lucy and a huge smile comes over her lips. Lucy smiles back, her teeth showing.

"What're you smiling at?" she chuckles. Quinn shrugs.

"You," she states simply. "I still can't believe you're ok. After we got separated I..." Lucy nods, telling her not to continue through their little unspoken connection.

"I know," she replies. "I did too." Quinn bites her lip.

"So much has happened," she murmurs. "I...I wish you were here for it." Lucy sighs.

"So did I, but life wasn't that bad...let's not talk about mine right now," she chuckles, trying to shake off the worry that suddenly broke into her as she thought of the prison group. "Tell me what's been going on? How are you and your parents? Anything new?" Quinn twirls a piece of her hair with one of her fingers. She only did that when she was nervous. "Quinn?"

"Well...the man who came in with you. Matt?" Lucy nods. "He's my husband." Lucy's eyes blink several times. Quinn had found someone in this? She couldn't believe that. She...had someone.

Lucy should have taken that chance.

"I'm...happy for you," she finally says after she processed that fact. "I'm pissed that I wasn't there for the wedding though." Quinn chuckles a bit, happy the nervousness was gone.

"Well, there wasn't a wedding at all, really. It was sort of just one day he asked and I said yes." Lucy smiles.

"That's amazing," she gushes, taking a sip of the ice cold water. Quinn rubs her arms.

"I also have a little boy."

Water spits out of her mouth as she begins to choke. Quinn pats her back, a worried look on her face but Lucy raises a hand, telling her she was fine and that she would be ok. Quinn removes her hand and Lucy finishes her little spat, and then faces Quinn with the most confused expression she could muster at that moment. If there were trophies for expressions, she would win first place.

"What?!" she exclaims. "When the hell did that happen, Quinn?" The older girl rubs the back of her head in embarrassment.

"About a year ago," she mumbles. Lucy stares at her for a second. She had never even given the idea of Quinn having a kid in this world. She was afraid in the LAST world to have a kid because of where she lived.

"Please tell me it's Matt's," Lucy says desperately. "Please tell me it wasn't some asshole-"

"Lucy!" she interrupts, her eyes wide. "No! Nothing like that! It is Matt's." Lucy nods, looking down at her food. She suddenly wasn't that hungry anymore. Pushing the plate away, she turns her chair to the side and fully faces Quinn.

"How old is he?" she asks quietly. Quinn smiles.

"Not even a year. About seven months now." Lucy smiles small. This was insane. She had a little boy to raise in this fucked up world. And she hadn't been there.

She felt like a shitty best friend right now.

"I wasn't...even there for you. Damn it," she mutters, placing her head in her hands. Quinn places one of her own on Lucy's shoulder.

"Hey, it's fine-"

"No, it's not fine!" Lucy snaps, her head looking back up to meet Quinn's eyes. "You've literally been through everything with me...through what happened with Sam and...and **everything**! I...I should have been there with you and...Jesus, Quinn I didn't even know-" Quinn places her hands on the side of her face, telling her to be quiet.

"You listen to me. You're always blaming yourself for things you can't prevent. You were taken away from me and I **hated **when that happened. I felt like half my life was taken away." Lucy smiles a bit at that. "But it is not your fault that it happened. You and Sam are my family, and it hurt to not know where the hell you two were, but I was thinking of you along the way, keeping you in my thoughts. At one point I started to bitch about my pregnancy but thought of you and said 'Lucy would kick my ass if she saw me complaining. Shut up and take the pain.'"

"I wouldn't beat you," Lucy chuckles, stepping back a bit. "I'd harass you, but I wouldn't beat you." Quinn laughs.

"Really," she continues. "It's not your fault. You and Sam are here now, and that's all that matters." Lucy smiles at Quinn, but a small sigh escapes, knowing she was right. She turns back to her food and grabs a biscuit from the plate, nibbling it slightly. "We haven't even talked about you. I haven't seen you for what? Two years now? What's happened? I saw some scars on Sam's face," she adds at the end softly. Lucy sighs.

Looks like it was story time.

"I...well-"

The doors to the small room they had taken to themselves bursts open, and both the young woman's heads snapped up to see who it was. Or whom it was. Joey and Tara were holding the doors, each looking at Lucy with the wildest expression in their eyes. In between them was Mr. Harris and Mrs. Harris, who was holding a small baby in her arms. Joey and Tara share a smile before running over to Lucy, both hugging her tightly.

"You're alive!" Tara yells.

"We thought we'd never see you again!" Joey says after. Lucy was trying hard to breathe.

"It's great to see you two too! But I can't breathe!" The two let go as soon as she says it, and she smiles at them. "Now, let's start over. Hi, it's great to see you," she laughs. The other two laugh and take a seat next to Quinn, who stands up and takes the small baby from her arms, smiling down at it. Before Lucy could ask, Mrs. Harris comes over and hugs her. Less than what Joey and Tara did, but enough that she was still having difficult time.

Damn, she really was tired.

"It's great to see you dear," she states quietly. Lucy smiles softly.

"You too," she replies. She pulls back and looks Lucy straight in the eyes.

"_Avez-vous été blessé de toute façon? Bad hommes_?" (Have you been hurt in any way? Bad men?) Lucy chuckles, shaking her head, not even thinking about Marcus. He was probably long gone by now.

"_Non, non, je suis d'accord. Juste ... vous savez. Les morts se promènent donc c'est une maison de fous là-bas._" (No, no, I've been okay. Just...you know. The dead are walking so it's a madhouse out there.) Mrs. Harris shrugs.

_"Eh bien, c'est la vie. Je suis heureux que tu vas bien._" (Well, that's life. I'm happy you're okay.) Lucy smiles at her, nodding her head. She was happy she was there as well. Tara snorts at the two speaking french.

"English, please. Can't understand a lick of French," she chuckles. Lucy laughs. Tara was one of those people that when she spoke something, she meant it. As long as Lucy had known Tara, she never told a lie unless needed to, and when she did the math in her head, she had known her for seventeen years, meeting when they were five.

Tara, Quinn, and Lucy had actually all been close in elementary school into their last years of high school. Yet again, even if Quinn was older, she preferred hanging out with the younger kids then the people of her class. They were all boring compared to them.

Even growing up, Tara had been the badass of their small little group. She was always cutting school, always breaking rules, disobeying her parents. She was the one who convinced Lucy to do some of the shit she did. Her natural hair color was light blonde, but she had changed her color so many fucking times Lucy gave up trying to figure out what she really liked. At least now it was natural.

After college, Tara had actually ended up going to a college, one upstate and away from Quinn and Lucy, but they still managed to keep in touch.

"Sorry, Tara," Lucy laughs. Joey rolls his eyes.

"She's just jealous you can speak it and she can't." Tara glares at him.

"I am not!" she seethes. "I am perfectly fine. I just can't understand a damn-"

"Tara!" Quinn interrupts. Tara looks over angrily and Quinn points to the baby. "Sleeping!" Tara sighs.

"Sorry," she mumbles. Lucy walks over to the baby and stares down at him. He had Quinn's dirty blonde hair that stuck out in little tuffs on his head. Quinn smiles at her.

"Wanna hold him?" she asks Lucy. The younger girl smile and nods, taking the small baby from Quinn's arms. She gently rocked it back and forth, smiling down at him. Quinn stands close next to her. "His names Logan." Lucy smiles at Quinn and then back at the baby.

"Hey, Logan," she whispers, holding him close. "Hey sweetie. I'm not gonna let anything happen to you, got it? Nothing." Lucy looks back at Quinn. "He looks like you." Quinn tilts her head.

"I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or not," she chuckles. Lucy laughs quietly.

"It's a compliment," she snickers, sitting down at the table again. Everyone took a seat or stood against the wall. Joey sat next to her, and Lucy took the time to admire how he looked so buff. She would never dream of liking him like that, especially since he was...well, gay, but he was so much more stronger than the last time she saw him. His arms were toner, and his body was bigger in a good way. She knew he had been working out.

It was a pity that most guys who were good looking turned out to be gay.

Then there was Daryl.

She shakes her head, getting those thoughts away. This was her friends time, not to remember the prison.

"We haven't seen you in so long," Mrs. Harris states, sitting down in a chair across from Lucy. "Tell us everything that's happened." Mr. Harris nods.

"You look like you've been through a lot." Tara nods, leaning against the wall. Lucy noticed her hair adorned a black beanie, and she had black skinny jeans with a blue long sleeve t-shirt. She hand't changed one bit, and that made her feel better. At least some people were able to stay themselves during a time like this.

"And seen some shit," she adds on. Quinn throws a look at Tara while the girl just shrugs her shoulders. "What? It's true! Sam has scars on her face if you didn't see! And a hurt ankle! I could only see that she's seen stuff that people don't want to see." Quinn rolls her eyes, turning back to Lucy. Placing a comforting hand on Lucy's shoulder, she smiles at her.

"You don't need to tell us everything right now. We can wait. We understand everything's so stressful." Joey nods at this.

"She's right. You don't have to do anything you're uncomfortable with." Tara blows a piece of blonde hair out of her eyes.

"Even if it would be cool to hear the stories."

"TARA!"

"WHAT?!"

"God, here we go again."

Lucy laughed into her exposed hand, keeping the other one supporting the baby. Somehow, Logan was still asleep. He must be a heavy sleeper.

"It's fine!" she snickers to Joey and Quinn, who turned back to her with heated faces. Tara nods at Lucy, giving her a silent 'thank you' before she got a beating from the two friends. "I'm happy to tell people. I just needed that little time of rest and it helped a lot. Where..do you want me to start?" Quinn bites her lip, something she had grown accustomed to doing, and took Logan back in her arms.

"Well, how about from the beginning? When we got separated." Lucy nods, but a moment later she started off with her own question.

"How did you even get down here anyway? You were in New York last time!" Mr. Harris decides to answer that.

"We just kept walking. We could never find a place that was safe enough, but we soon found this place right before Quinn had her baby. It was heaven compared to what we've been through. So far for seven months we've been here." Lucy nods. Wow, she was closer to Quinn than she thought.

"Wow," she mumbles. "Well, I didn't know where the hell I was," she chuckles. Joey snorts.

"Not at all?" Lucy shakes her head.

"Nope. I didn't even know I was in Georgia until someone told me." She sighs, bringing her legs up to the chair and crossing them indian style. "For about a year and half it was just me and Sammy traveling, looking for places to hide when the walkers came."

"Walkers?" Mrs. Harris asks.

"The name I use for those things outside." She only started using that when she met Daryl.

"Makes sense," Tara states. "I call 'em geeks." Lucy rolls her eyes.

"You would," she replies. Tara grins. She was the one who played those stupid apocalypse games all the time. "Every once and a while, we would come across people, but they were so...crazy and weird. Some of them were just senile. We always got out before they would do anything but...it was always unnerving. One day we took shelter in this really old rickety cabin to get away from a herd of walkers and...we found someone inside," she smiles, remembering the first meeting with Daryl.

"Who?" Quinn asks. "Was it bad." Lucy snorts.

"I thought he was. He had a freaking crossbow pointed at my head! But...he was anything but. He was a tough nut to crack, but he was a great guy. He took us back to his group, and they were held up in an old prison. Everyone there...well, almost everyone...was incredibly sweet and kind. Sam and I finally had a home after such long time on the road, and the people weren't bad. Then...killings started to happen throughout the prison...and all my happiness seemed to just...evaporate."

She didn't even know she was looking down at the ground until she felt Quinn place another hand on her shoulder to calm her down. Lucy smiles gingerly up at her.

"I'm fine," she murmurs. Quinn nods and takes her hand back. Taking a deep breath, she continues. "I was poisoned by someone. Two people, actually. They wanted me gone. Thanks to the people there I got it out of my system in time and I was safe, but that wasn't it. After I woke up the first time, Sam had been hurt with those three scratches. She got away though, thanks to some advice someone gave her. Afterwards, when I finally was able to leave my room, I got cornered by one of the guys who wanted me dead. I got away, after a lot of pain, bruises, and cuts. I have some scars on my back now because of him.

"Sooner or later, he tried to kill Sammy again, but in front of people. He got taken away, but I have no clue where the hell he is now. The next day was fine, but the day after that, the prison was attacked. I don't know who got out, or who is alive, but where I lived...it's gone now. And the people I got close to are probably very far away. For the past two weeks, it's just been Sam and I like old times. Then you guys found us." Quinn frowns.

"That sucks," she mumbles. "How long were you at the prison?"

"Bout two months. Maybe three." Tara purses her lips.

"Who was the guy who took you back?" Lucy smiles softly.

"Daryl. His name was Daryl. He was so caring and sweet, even if he didn't look it. Sam bloody loved him, trusted him more than anyone else in this group. I...liked him. A lot, actually. But...any chance of that went right outside the fucking window when the prison blew up. Don't knew where he is."

"We could look for him," Joey suggests. Lucy snorts.

"I highly doubt you can find him. He's better off. I'm probably just a burden anyway," she chuckles. Quinn smiles at her.

"I think you gotta get to sleep. You look like you need some energy." Mr. Harris stands up.

"Someone already took Sam to her room as well as the dog. What's his name?"

"Hunter." Tara snorts a bit.

"Typical for a German Shepherd."

"TARA!" Quinn yells at her.

"WHAT DID I DO NOW?!" she yells back. Lucy laughs at their banter. It was like little sister on big sister.

"Ok, little girls," Mr. Harris teases. Quinn sticks her tongue out at him while Tara rolls her eyes. "I think Lucy is just as tired as tired as the next person. Quinn, how about you take Lucy back to her room and tell her everything that happens here?" Lucy's brow furrows at the explanation but lets him talk. That sparked her curiosity.

"Ok, daddy," she replies, walking over to Mrs. Harris. "Can you take Logan and place him in his crib?" She nods happily, taking the baby from her daughters arms.

"Goodnight sweetie," she says, giving her daughter a quick peck on the forehead. Quinn rolls her eyes but returns the small gesture with a hand squeeze. Mrs. Harris turns to Lucy. "Goodnight, Lucy." Lucy smiles at her.

"Night Mrs. Harris." Lucy and Quinn watch them leave and head down the hall to the right until they were out of sight. Joey and Tara come over to her, giving her one last hug.

"It really is great to have you back, Lucy," Joey states quietly. Lucy smiles small.

"Yeah, it feels great too." For some reason, she didn't quite believe herself. Tara pulls back and places her hands on her hips.

"Just a quick question. Were you and Daryl together?" Lucy opens her mouth but the words don't come out. It was hard to talk about.

"No...we weren't. I mean...I like him...love him, even, but I had no clue if he felt the same or not. People told me he did, but I never really believed them. There was this one girl. Beth, and she was like a little sister to me. She told me that it was pretty obvious we were into each other, but I guess I was oblivious. To be honest, I'm glad I didn't go for it. I'd miss him more than I do right now."

"I think he's still out there," Joey says confidently. Lucy snorts.

"How would you know? You've never even met him." Joey shrugs while Tara actually talks for him.

"Any guy who is tough enough to handle you is tough enough to survive out there."

"TARA!"

"OK, I CAME HERE TO SEE MY FRIEND AGAIN AND I'M HONESTLY FEELING SO ATTACKED RIGHT NOW!" Lucy bursts out laughing at the line, shaking her head. That was Tara for her. Brutally honest, but always right. Lucy was a stubborn girl to deal with, hotheaded at times. If Daryl could deal with her he could deal with the outside world.

"Guys, it's getting too late for this stuff," she snickers again. Joey and Tara roll their eyes at her. Both give her another hug and head towards the door.

"Goodnight, Lucy," they both state. Lucy smiles at their retreating backs.

"Night guys," she replies. When Quinn and her hear a door close, Quinn lets out an exasperated breath. Lucy raises an eyebrow. "What's up?"

"Those two!" she whispers fiercely. "Honestly! They fight like they're brother and sister! Sometimes it's so annoying!" Lucy laughs a bit while Quinn smiles. She takes Lucy's hand. "Come on, let's go." Lucy happily lets her pull her along. They head out the doors and down to the right, then open the steel door that led to many rooms on each side, all closed. People were probably sleeping.

"What is this place?" Lucy whispers to Quinn.

"It used to be an old workplace for watermill workers, but we turned it into a safe zone. The place runs on water from the river, so as long as everything is in order, we never run out of juice." Lucy sighs in wonder. That was amazing. Never having to worry about loosing power again. "With a few stabs here and there, we keep the..what did you call them? Walkers? Yeah, we keep those away from here. We haven't had a break in from those things in a long time. But then again...there's Terminus," she growls slightly.

"What's a Terminus?" Lucy asks. Quinn chuckles slightly.

"Not a Terminus. It's another supposed 'safe zone' that's about twenty miles from here, but people who go there are completely screwed. All of the people there are cannibals, and okay with it. A few times the people there have tried to get us to come, seeing how good we are with energy. Sometimes they've almost broken in, but we eventually kicked their asses. They haven't come to us in a while, but we're always prepared."

That was like the whole Governor situation at the prison, and Lucy saw how that ended. Both places destroyed. She suddenly felt nervous. Quinn looks over and smiles comfortingly.

"Don't worry. We have plenty of people who had been in the army, navy...really anything. Matt was part of the U.S. Army Seal. They aint getting in here." She reaches the end of the hall and turns to the left. The first room she opens up and Lucy peaks inside. Sam was fast asleep on one of the beds, but as she looked closer there was another room where she could sleep as well.

It was also like a little apartment. Small living room, very small, but nice. Little kitchen. Tiny bathroom. But it was enough for her and Sam. It was perfect.

"No one really uses the kitchen that often, but when you want to it's there. Just a heads up, every morning we do a bit of training to keep people in shape. I do it all the time and I'm stronger than I've ever been. You should join in with me when you're ready. Meals here are meant to improve your strength too. It's like college here." Lucy snorts.

"I doubt that." Quinn shrugs.

"Foods good. Training outside. Good rooms. I'd say it pars up to NYU." Lucy rolls her eyes.

"Sure, Quinn. Sure." Quinn smiles.

"It's...really great to see you. I missed you so freaking much." Her arms go around her in a tight hug again, and Lucy returns it gratefully.

"Ditto," she replies. "I'm not heading anywhere anytime soon." Quinn pulls back.

"You sure? You seem bent up over that Daryl guy." Lucy rolls her eyes sadly.

"Well, yeah, I am, but I finally found you. I'm not going to let you go."

"We could help you find him. If he means that much-"

"Quinn, I'm fine. We'll be fine. I'm gonna miss him, but I'll deal with it. For now, all I want to do is sleep." Quinn giggles.

"Just like back in school. Okay. I'll see you and Sam in the morning. Sleep tight, Lucy," she softly says, heading down the hall. Lucy half smiles back at her.

"Don't let the bed bugs bite, Quinn." Her best friend laughs, shaking her head and going out of sight. Lucy turns around and looks back in her new room.

This wasn't a dream. Quinn was here and alive.

"Pleasure to see you here."

Lucy spins around surprised, her knife drawn, due to instincts, but who was standing behind her shocked her body so hard that she dropped the small weapon to the ground. Her eyes widened slightly, her mouth ajar.

Carol.

**~%~**

**Whoomp, there it is. XD**

**I just want to thank all the people who have been supporting this story since the beginning and anyone else who's reading it. I love all of your support! Long chapter this was. **

**Review please? :) Luv ya!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Thanks to the following people who reviewed my story!**

mrskaz453

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**All of ya'll are amazing! And thank you to the new followers and favorites! You people inspire me to type faster and get the chapters up quicker. Very excited to type up this chapter. Don't know how I'll do this, but I will. This should be fun. :)**

**On with the story!**

**~%~**

Out of all the people in this watermill, Carol was the least expected that she thought she would see. Beth had told her that she had been kicked out for helping Marcus, but of all the places in Georgia she had to be here.

"C...Carol," she stutters, her shock very evident on her face. Either Carol was a suburb actress or an amazing liar, but either way she wasn't showing the shock on her face. "You're...here and...who brought you here? Is Marcus here?!" she asks hurriedly. Carol shakes her head no.

"No, he's not. What happened at the prison?" Lucy glares at her, crossing her arms on her chest.

"Why do you want to know? Last time I checked, you were kicked out." Carol sighs angrily, crossing her arms as well.

"Look, I may have done some stupid things-"

"You KILLED two innocent people and tried to kill me! As well as Sammy!" Carol glares at her.

"I know!" she yells. Lucy's eyes widen and on instinct she closes the door behind her, hoping Sam won't wake up to the loudness that was occurring outside. Carol takes a deep breath, calming herself. "I know, ok? I know, and I was stupid. But that's what I'm here to talk about." Lucy raises an eyebrow.

"You killing me again? Because honestly I don't want to talk-"

"Not that," she interrupts. "I...wanted to say sorry." Lucy's brow furrows.

"Why? So you can trick me again? If you didn't notice, Daryl's not here to pawn over!" Carol glares at her again.

"Can you please let me talk!" she exclaims. Lucy backs off a bit, leaning against the door. She stares at the woman in distrustfulness. She seemed to really want to explain why she did it, but something deep inside told her to turn away and go to sleep. Her mind, though, decides for her, and she nods, letting her go on.

_'This better be worth while,'_ she thinks tiredly.

"Ok, I know I did some stupid shit." _No duh, dipshit. _"But it was only...because I was jealous."

"I sort of figured that out," Lucy mumbles. Carol goes on as if she hadn't interrupted.

"When we were at Hershel's farm, I lost my daughter, Sophia, to walkers. For weeks, we searched for her, but Daryl...he searched the hardest." _I'm not surprised. Daryl was always good with Sam. I know he has a soft spot for kids, _Lucy thinks. "I guess even if we didn't find her...well, alive, he was still so determined. He did more for that girl then her father ever did for either of us.

"Afterwards, though it took a while, we became close, had a tight friendship. Over time, IO developed strong feelings for him. You know, we joked around sometimes, but we would always laugh it off. Deep down though, I wanted it to be real...I wanted something with him." Lucy felt her spirits drop a bit.

"The day he brought you and Sam back...I hadn't met you at that point, but he was the one who showed you to your room and told you about the place. Even so, I spied a bit." _That makes me feel less stalked. _"And you two seemed so...close already."

Lucys brow furrows. "We did?" Carol nods small.

"Yes, you did. When I first met you and found out he left you a note, I couldn't believe it. I had known the man for almost a year, if not more, and he had never done that for me. After that first month I felt so...jealous. You two were closer than...well, anyone I had ever seen Daryl get close to.

"After two months of pure...well, practically flirting between you two, I had enough. Marcus wanted you all to himself, and I wanted you out of the picture, so I teamed up with him...and we did all that stuff. I wanted Daryl as more than something, more than just a close friend. It didn't really hit me until I was kicked out.

"Daryl never acted that way around me, but when you came along, he was just...happy. Kinder. Everything good seemed to show when you were around. He was always protecting you and keeping you and Sam safe, and I know that he liked you...loved you even...a lot more than he did with most of the people. In those two months you were there, you made an honest man out of him. Something I could never do.

"I felt stupid for trying to tear you two apart, but I was already kicked out of the prison before I could say sorry. You two...really deserve each other. Sam obviously thinks so too. You guys already acted like a family." Lucy rubs the back of her head embarrassingly, her cheeks turning a soft shade of red.

"Well, there's no chance of that now," she murmurs, crossing her arms again, feeling a bit stupefied at the sudden apology. "Governor took the prison. It's all in ashes now. Sam and I got out alone and we haven't seen him."

"That's also why I'm here right now," Carol states. Lucy's eyes narrow. "You're just giving up?" Lucy's eyes widen now.

"I didn't give up! I just...well...I just can't-"

"What? Find him?" Carol proceeds. "Did you try?"

"Of course I did!" she snaps.

"Well then try harder!" Lucy suddenly stands up straight, glaring at Carol with the most hateful expression she could muster.

"I DID!" she exclaims. "For that first week all I did was look for him! I'm not some tracker that can find people! I'm not like him! But I soon realized I have a fucking child to look after and keep safe! This opportunity came and I wasn't going to let it go just because I want to find him! Sam is sleeping...on a bed after having REAL. FOOD!"

She turns around and suddenly slides against the wall, falling down to the ground. She brings her knees up to her chest and begs herself not to cry again, but even so a few tears slip down.

"I miss him...so much, and...I don't even know why. It's like the Quinn situation all over again. I found Quinn but...now I don't have him. I have so many mixed feelings and it's all because I got too close and...I want to find him. I do. I just...don't know where to look. He's probably anywhere in Georgia by now and I...can't find him."

Carol sort of weirdly comes next to her on the ground, trying to calm her down.

"Even if you can't find him, I'm sure he's looking everywhere for you. When that man loses someone he really cares about, he'll go to the ends of the earth to find them. You and Sam are part of that." Lucy looks up with a small smile.

"You think?" Carol nods.

"I know. Maybe if you go one direction he'll be in the other." Lucy snorts softly, looking away from her again.

"You just want me gone," she mumbles. Carol shrugs.

"I do," she admits. Lucy's brow furrows at the blunt statement. Carol shrugs. "I still don't like you. I still love Daryl. I've just given up on him liking me. You still have that attitude that pisses me off at times, and it's getting annoying. I'm here for Daryl's sake, not for yours." Lucy stands up again.

"So I'm still dirt on the ground. You just want Daryl to be happy." Carol nods a bit.

"Basically." Lucy nods her head side to side, pursing her lips.

"Thanks, Carol. But I think I'm going to go to sleep now. Goodnight." She turns to the door and swings it open, nearly knocking Carol to the side, which Lucy wouldn't have minded. As she closes the door, Carol screams wait. "What?" Lucy asks exasperated.

"You don't have to leave. Just...I know he's out there looking for you. I think you should be doing the same." Lucy closes the door after that without another word.

Walking over to the couch, she takes a pillow from the small sofa and screams into it. She hated that woman with all that she could think of. She was rude and selfish and always getting into her buisness and...

She was right.

She should be out there looking for him. She needed him in her life if she wanted to be happy again. She felt like a hole was inside her chest that only he could fill, no matter how cliche that sounded. Sam needed him, and she did too. Badly.

Damn it, she really hated Carol right now. She thought Quinn would fill the void, even seeing her old friends, maybe, but nothing was working, no matter how much she wanted it to work.

Glancing at the sleeping Sam, she sighs and goes to her small bedroom, keeping the door open behind her if Sam wanted to come in. She takes off her shorts and simply climbs onto the bed, not even pulling the covers back up. She sat in bed for probably an hour, Carol's words going around and around in her head.

By twelve at night, she finally figured out what she was doing.

She would find Daryl by herself. Sam needed to stay here.

She would do it.

**~%~**

The next morning came all too fast for Lucy. Opening her eyes, she didn't feel like she got any sleep the night prior. Then again, she did get to bed at twelve in the fucking morning, so this should have been expected.

Still took her a while to get out of bed.

She actually almost fell asleep if it wasn't for the licking on her face. Her nose scrunches up as she feels the arm liquid touch her face. Opening her sleepy eyes, she sees Hunter's full brown ones staring at her. One of his ears was floppy and the other one was pointed up. He actually was a really cute dog.

He barked happily and Lucy smiles. "Hey boy...where's Sammy? Is she in here?" The dog doesn't reply but instead licks her face again. She sighs, shaking her head to get his own away. "Ok! Ok, I'm up. I'm up." She leans up in her bed and stares into the room. Sam was not on the bed she was in last night, but she heard the sink in the bathroom go off. She must be washing her face.

The dog jumps off the bed, though a bit clumsily lands, and runs to the living room. Lucy sleepily follows. Hunter gets in an attack position, one for playing, and Lucy stops where she stood, going towards the dog slowly. He barks and moves as she plays along and then takes off as she runs forward.

Lucy laughs, shaking her head and heading over to the bathroom door. She opens the object slowly and glances inside to see Sam standing on top of an old box, trying to look at herself in the mirror. She hated being short.

"Morning, Sammy," she chuckles. Sam looks over and smiles at her mother.

"Morning, mommy." She looks back into the mirror and frowns, her lower lip sticking out. Lucy comes over and lifts her closer to the mirror and Sam smiles again. "I couldn't see myself," she replies. Lucy snickers.

"I know. That's why I did it." Sam touches the scars on her face and bites her lip.

"Will these ever go away, mommy?" Lucy sighs.

"They're starting to fade, but I think small marks will be there. Don't worry. They're barely visible." Sam slumps her shoulders and nods, squirming a bet to get down. Lucy places her back on the floor and Sam goes out into the living room, taking a playing Hunter up in her arms. He wiggles around a bit, trying to get away, but her grip was firm.

"This place is nice! I get food and a bed!" Lucy smiles a bit. She'd be gone from it for a while. The dog finally gets free and runs off to play with a toy in there. "Hunter!" Sam yells, running after him. Lucy grabs her arm, pulling her back.

"I think he needs to chew on something. Let him be. I need to talk to you." Sam's brow furrows but she nods, hopping up onto the sofa and staring curiously at her mother. Lucy takes a deep breath. "I'm leaving for a while."

"WHAT? WHY?!" Sam cries, getting up from her seat in a frenzy. Lucy stops her again, this time kneeling down to place her hands on her shoulders, attempting to calm the little girl. "We just got here and you're leaving? I'm going with you!"

"No, Sam. You can't."

"Why not?!" Lucy sighs yet again. This kid wasn't gonna stop.

"Because I'm searching for someone." Sam tilts her head.

"Who? We found Ms. Quinn." Lucy smiles at the nickname.

"Yes we did, but I know a certain someone you miss a lot." Sam thinks for a second, and then her face falls.

"Mr. Daryl?" she asks quietly, and Lucy nods, confirming her answer.

"Yup. I'm gonna find him"

"But we looked!" Lucy finally sits down on the floor in front of Sam, taking her small hands in hers.

"Yes, we did, but we didn't try hard enough. There were so many walkers and everything that I needed to keep you safe, and every single time we would just step away from something that would lead me to him. I'm going to find him and bring him back. Same with anyone else from the prison group...but you need to stay here and stay safe. I can't put the risk of you getting bit out there."

"But...but what if you don't come back?" she cries softly. Lucy smiles sadly.

"I always do, don't I? I'll be fine, sweetie. You just wait. I'll be back sooner before you know it with...however many people in tow! You'll see Mr. Daryl again, and Beth and Maggie...maybe even Rick and Carl too! You just need to stay here and be protected. Quinn will keep you from doing anything of the sort."

Sam looks down at the ground and stares at her shoes. She didn't want her to go. She missed Mr. Daryl...a lot, but she didn't want her mommy to get hurt.

"When do you leave?" she finally asks.

"After breakfast." Sam looks back up and bites her lip again. Her and Tara were becoming twins.

"I need to see you go," she murmurs. Lucy smiles.

"Of course you will. Fare warning, though. C-" A loud knock on the door surprises her from continuing. Giving Sam a 'one minute' sign, she stands up and walks over, opening the door. Outside, Tara was there, a rifle in her hands and a fierce look in her eyes. Her blonde hair was done up in a high ponytail and she wore a tight white tank top and black skinny jeans. She still dressed like she was in college. "What's going-"

"People from Terminus took some of our people last night. Snuck in. Few of us are heading out to get them back. Whatever means possible. You in?" Lucy looks back at Sam and back at Tara. This place was her home now. Looks like looking for Daryl would have to wait.

"Hell yeah. Give me a minute." Tara nods and takes off down the hallway.

"We're meeting where you got dropped off yesterday! Hurry up!" she yells before she exits the building. Lucy rushes over to Sam, who looked freaked out of her mind.

"What's wrong? What's going on?" she asks frantically. Lucy places on a pair of jeans, not having time to change her shirt, and picks up Sam. She was sure Mrs. Harris wouldn't be leaving in all of this. She exits her room with Sam nestled in her arms, her little hands latching tight onto Lucy's shirt.

"We're getting back people. You listen to Mrs. Harris, ok? Do anything she says." Sam nods, not really knowing what to say in a situation like this. She was already worried about her mommy, and now this. It was gonna be a long day.

**~%~**

Lucy counted fifteen people in total. As they walked through the woods to get to this supposed Terminus place, Lucy stuck close to Quinn, who actually looked pretty scary for this sort of thing. She had a full on rifle in her hands, just like Tara did. Her hair was let down, but after facing a crap ton of walkers she had some blood on the side of her cheeks.

The look definitely did not suit her sweet personality.

Lucy looked over at Joey, one of the other people who had come with them and saw his get up. He sort of looked like he walked straight out of Step Up from one of those dance crews. He had a black t-shirt on that was dirty and ribbed up a bit, and a leather vest over his shoulders, as well as blue jeans and black sneakers, something he could run easily in.

Lucy felt totally unprepared for a situation like this. she only had on jeans and an old t-shirt. Looking over at Joey, she sees that his usually neatly done hair had fallen into his eyes after battling those stupid creatures. She looks in front of her and sees Tara and Quinn talking rapidly, probably thinking about how they would get in.

"Joey!" she whispers fiercely as the people around them talked. He looks over and nods, telling her to continue. "I'm fine and dandy with helping people, but who exactly are they?"

"Two of our best engineers at the mill. They keep the place running...those two are not in a good place to be right now. They're not built for this sort of world...skinny and boney...but damn can they fix a power grid. We need them back there." Lucy nods, holding the rifle tighter in her hands.

"You know...right now you do not look gay at all." Joey snorts at the comment.

"That's because I just faced a shit ton of biters. Them assholes will never stop trying." Lucy rolls her eyes.

"They're literally walking balls of flesh. What do you expect?" Joey nods at the comment, a small smile on his face, but it soon disappears as a train station comes into view. Quinn suddenly rushes the group over to the side where there were tree's so they wouldn't be seen. Lucy was able to catch the letter TERMINUS painted on the walls.

As the group moves silently through the woods, Lucy keeps her gun locked and loaded, ready to shoot anything that came in their way. They moved stealthily to the back through the trees, trying hard not to be caught, but one of the woman trips on something poking out from the ground. Quinn glares at her.

"Quiet!" she whispers fiercely.

"I'm sorry! There's something in the ground!" the woman whispers back, pointing to a lump that was protruding from the dirt. Joey and Tara look at each other quickly before nodding and digging it up quickly. The group stood in amazement. As Joey reached into hole, he found a giant black bag, and unzipping it to the bottom, was a shit ton of ammo and weapons.

"Who the hell would bury all of this?" a man asks, astonished at the rifles inside, the few pistols and plenty of knives. Quinn bites her lip.

"People who were expecting this place was bad." She sighs, taking a glance at the train station. "Looks like it's not just Tyler and Mike we're saving."

"Come on," Matt states, another guy who had come with her. "Let's get them back." Quinn nods, heading over to the fence that led into the courtyard. They peek inside and see three guards near a giant train car labeled A, and then a few in the courtyard, blocking any sort of entry into train station. Something had gone down there.

"It wasn't this crazily guarded last time!" Tara whispers. Quinn shrugs.

"Something must have happened. Someone must have figured out what they were." She turns to the group and thinks quickly. "Lucy, Tara...you guys and I will get to the people in the car. That's where they keep all the prisoners that they take. The rest of you, distract those guards so we have a clear pathway to get in there. We can't have any eyes on us because we're tearing the roof off that piece of shit."

"How do we distract them?" one of the woman asks. Quinn rolls her eyes.

"Gunshots, yell, hide...act like you're new here and looking for salvation, I don't know. Just make sure that you do it long enough so we can get these people out." Tara loads up her rifle again, ready to head out.

"And afterwards?" she asks, her eyes narrowing. Quinn sighs at her.

"_Afterwards _we go back. We don't need this getting even more blown out of proportion than right now. If they come to us, we'll be prepared." Tara glares a bit but drops the gaze, looking back inside the train station. Quinn looks to the rest of the group. "Joey, Matt, keep these people safe. If they start shooting, get them out."

Both men nod.

"We're gonna come back for you though," Matt states. Quinn smiles at him.

"I know," she replies. "Now get going!" Everyone takes off quickly and quietly as possible as Tara, Quinn and Lucy stare into the courtyard, waiting for all of them to leave. Quinn purses her lips. "This is crazy. I fucking hate these guys so much." Tara snorts.

"Why do you think I brought a gun? Why can't we kill some of 'em?" Quinn shakes her head.

"I'm trying to be the better person here, Tara. If it comes down to that, fine." Lucy couldn't believe what she was hearing from two of her friends. Tara it didn't really surprise her as much as Quinn, but it still felt weird to hear them say that. Quinn suddenly shushes both of them, seeing the guards take off when someone tells them people came.

"Guess they went the less hurtful way," Tara mumbles. "Chickens."

"They're being smart," Lucy mutters back to her. Quinn ignores the both of them and looks inside. One of the guards stayed.

"Fuck. One of 'em is still in there," Quinn mutters to them. Tara smiles.

"Want me to take him out for you?" Quinn glares at her.

"No! Just...knock him out. You know how to do that." Tara rolls her eyes but complies anyway, handing her rifle to Quinn and walking quietly into the courtyard. Quinn and Lucy silently waited, listening to Tara's every move. They heard her jump, a bit of a struggle, and then silence. A moment later, Tara emerges with a victorious smile.

"He aint waking up anytime soon." Quinn smiles and nods. All three girls sneak into the yard, walking towards the train car. When they reach it, Quinn bangs on the car. A collective yell goes throughout the car and Quinn and Lucy laugh. Tara snorts at the surprise. "What's up assholes?"

"Who the hell are they?" a muffled voice says from inside.

"Tara!?"

"Got that right, motherfucker."

"TARA!"

"WHAT NOW?!"

"There might be kids in there!" Tara rolls her eyes.

"Yeah, sure."

"Yup, that's Tara," another voice states. Quinn steps up.

"Tyler, Mark, who else is in there?" she asks.

"Us and another group! They got tricked!" Tara steps up in front of Quinn, trying to hear them.

"Are they good? Like will they shoot us when we let you out?"

"As long as we get out of here I don't give a shit who you are! I hate this stupid thing!" Lucy's brow furrows. She knew that voice from somewhere. She was probably just imagining things again.

"Tara, you stay down here and keep watch. Keep that rifle pointed." Tara nods, going to the front of the train car. "You," she says, pointing to Lucy. "Help me with the top. Give me a boost." Lucy nods, leaning against the metal and holding out her hands. Quinn easily climbs on top, having done this plenty of times back in New York. After she gets on top, she offers Lucy a hand up, and Lucy pops up on the top a moment later.

"How the hell are they gonna get in here from the top?" another muffled voice asks. This one Lucy didn't recognize. Quinn reaches into her pocket and pulls out a pistol with a silencer. Quinn aims it at one of the bolts and shoots. The bolt flies off in the other direction, Lucy having to duck to not get hit.

"Sorry," Quinn says sheepishly. Lucy rolls her eyes.

"Try not to kill me today please." Quinn continues in shooting until ten of the bolts are shot off. Before they lift off the small part, they hear gunshots go off from the front. Quinn growls.

"Fuck," she hisses. "Come on! Let's do this quickly!" Lucy and Quinn dig their hands underneath the piece of metal and lift with all their might, groaning as they do. When they finally are able to lift it, they let it fall to the other side in a heap, a loud **clang **being herd afterwards. Quinn peaks inside and smiles at Tyler and Mark. "Hey faggots."

"I've never been so happy to see you," Tyler responds, running to the middle. Tara bangs on the car again.

"Guys, they're coming back!" Quinn gives Tyler her hand.

"Come on! We gotta get out of here." Tyler wastes no time in grabbing her hand and helping himself up. "Lucy, you help them get up here. The hole's big enough for two people to go through," she says quickly. Lucy nods and reaches her hand into the hole. Someone grabs it and she pulls the person up. Whoever it was, it was heavy.

When she sees who it was, she nearly drops them back into the car. "Maggie?!" The woman looks up and her eyes widen when she sees her.

"Lucy?! Oh my God, you're ok!" she exclaims, trying to get out of car quicker. Almost everyone in the car has a reaction that spans from gasping to yelling to Lucy. Once Maggie gets up, she hugs Lucy tightly. Her body still hurt.

"You know her?" Quinn asks, helping Mark out. Lucy nods painfully.

"Yeah! I do!" she laughs. Maggie pulls back and Lucy smiles at her. "Wait...where's your sister?" Maggie frowns a bit.

"Your guess is as good as mine," she sighs/

"Guys!" Tara suddenly yells. All of them look over and see the guards coming back, their guns pointed. "Shoot?!"

"Shoot!" Quinn yells. Tara smiles and begins to shoot. _Shit, she's as good as me! _Lucy thinks. Every single shot seemed like a headshot. "Maggie? That's your name? Help us with the people!" Maggie nods, going over to where Quinn had been moments ago, who was now helping Tara with the guards.

Everyone came out as quick as possible, and Lucy saw that the people from the front had come to the back to help them with the many guards who were coming into the courtyard. As Lucy was pulling up someone, she felt a man come up behind her. "HOLD UP!" she yells to the person.

Quickly, she drops the hand and kicks her leg underneath the mans legs, then shoots him on the shoulder. He cries out, but Lucy kicks him off with one push.

One by one, the people come out. A few she didn't recognize, but everyone else was from her old group. Rick, Carl, Michonne, Glenn...another girl was actually named Tara as well. That would be fun. The only person missing that she couldn't see was...Daryl.

All of them were surprised to see her there, some even trying to talk to her, but she told them to go off and help the group. She needed to make sure everyone was out. Finally, she puts in one last hand and someone grabs it. Her eyes widen a bit. She felt like she knew those hands...

She pulls the person up with much difficulty. They were heavy, whoever it was. Her muscles hurt, her bones hurt, her head hurt. Everything was starting to hurt right now. The person finally comes out a bit clumsily and lands on her legs. She curses out.

"Damn it, dude watch-oh my God," she gasps as she steps back. The person stands up and looks at the woman who pulled him up, and his eyes widen.

"Lucy?" A smile appears on her face.

"Dary-" A scream rings through the air and Lucy gets to action. "Later!" she states, jumping off the train car and into the battle. Daryl jumps off as well but with more confusion laced on his face. Lucy begins to shoot at the people.

"Wait, what're ya doing here!?" Daryl yells over the panic. Lucy shoots another guy in the head.

"Remember Quinn?!" she exclaims back. He nods. She points her gun over to Quinn, to where she was currently beating the shit out of one of the guards. His eyes widen as he shoots one of them.

"Shit, that's her?" he asks astounded. When she finishes, she turns to the group and yells above them.

"Let's go!" The group disbands, heading out in different directions. Lucy grabs Daryl's hand and follows Quinn and Tara, who was still shooting. "Tara! Cool it with the shooting!"

"They're all assholes!" she screams, shooting another man. As they make their way into the forest, Lucy made sure to keep a firm grip on Daryl's hand. She wasn't losing him again. There was no way in hell she was going too.

When the train station was out of sight, Quinn slows down and takes out a walkie talkie. She turns to the other three. "Tara, get in contact with Joey. I'll get in contact with Matt. Lucy...who is this?" she asks, placing her hands on her hips for a second. Lucy feels her cheeks turn a little bit red.

"Daryl," she simply states. A look of realization comes over Quinn's face, as well as a smug grin.

"Oh," she states. "You two catch up. We got this." Tara smirks but actually says nothing, trying to get a signal on the radio. Lucy turns to Daryl and her brow furrows.

"How did you end up there?"

"Signs on the road. Told us to go." She snorts.

"Pretty bad decision." Daryl rolls his eyes at this.

"No shit. Is...Sam ok? She aint here." Lucy smiles.

"She's fine. Safe back at the mill." She suddenly realizes that Daryl was there in front of her. She hadn't even had to go out on a journey to find him. This was pure fucking luck. She smiles small at him. "Hey." He lets out a ghost of a laugh before grinning softly at her. She felt her heart speed up. Fuck, the butterflies were back.

"Hey," he replies. Her smile widens. She couldn't wait to get back to the mill.

**~%~**

**Review please? :) Luv ya!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Thank you to the following people who reviewed! **

mrskaz453

Kima Wolfwood

Victoria Amoss

jeanf

**Ya'll are awesome! Inspires me to get the chapters up quicker. And thanks to the new followers and favorites! They're always amazing as well!**

**On with the story!**

**~%~**

She didn't know how long they had been talking, trying to reach out to Joey or Matt. It was insane and torturing, because honestly all Lucy wanted to do was get back to the mill and see her daughter again. To relax and to actually talk to Daryl without the fear of guns after them. She was letting Tara and Quinn do the contacting because Lucy didn't have one single clue on how to use those stupid things.

"I feel like I'm being so unhelpful right now," Lucy mumbles to Daryl. The older man took to leaning against one of the tree's trunks, trying to understand all that had just happened moments before. Adrenaline had been the only thing that had kept him going from asking questions. Like how the hell she found Quinn, where the hell they were. That fact that Lucy was standing in front of him breathing and not dead was the only thing that stopped him.

"They just tryin' to find a way back to the group. I'm still trying to process what happened." Lucy snickers a bit.

"Process what?" He raises an eyebrow.

"That fact that ya and yer two friends went full on assassin back there. Both of em'...shit, Tara shoots just as well as ya do." Lucy smiles. She _had _been the one to teach Tara how to the use the gun. Then again, that sort of started the girl off on her bad girl streak, so in a way it was good and bad. "Same with Quinn."

"We all grew up together," Lucy states. "All in the same neighborhood." His brow furrows.

"I thought ya said Quinn and-" Lucy stops him.

"Yes, Quinn is my closest friend, but that's because she lived so close to me and I could see her everyday. Tara had been a friend since elementary school, and probably the only person in my grade I ever liked. She was sort of...the bad ass of our little trio, I guess you could say. Turned a bit senile with the guns though. She was locked and loaded, ready to go in there and kill every single last person in there." Daryl snorts.

"Aint surprised. Fucking assholes." Lucy turns to him, her arms crossed.

"What happened when the prison fell." Daryl turns his head away, as if he was a bit ashamed of something. Lucy tilts her own, wondering what on earth was going on inside this mans head.

"Sort of don't wanna talk about it right now," he grunts out. Instead of pressing on, Lucy lets the matter go, knowing this wasn't exactly the time to be catching up. She places a hand on the top of his arm softly, but for once he doesn't cringe. She nudges him a bit and he looks over. She smiles.

"Hey, it's fine. We gotta find the rest of our people anyway."

"DAMN RIGHT! WE NEED TO SHOOT THEIR HEADS OFF!" Tara suddenly screams. The whole group jumps and Quinn spins around, her eyes wide at Tara. The girl looks at all of them and smiles sheepishly. "Found Joey," she says much quieter than the last statement. Lucy's eyes widen and she runs over to the walkie talkie, grabbing it from Tara's grasp and speaking into it.

"Joey?! Joey, you're there?!" There was static for a second before Joey's quirky voice came over the radio.

"Here, Lucy Goosey." Lucy sighs thankfully before rolling her eyes at the device.

"You know I hate that nickname!" she yells into the device.

"Jesus, Lucy! Keep it down! Killing me over here," Joey speaks back. Lucy smiles at the object, hearing the teasing tone of her friend. Unbeknownst to her, Daryl was glaring at the small device. He didn't know who the hell Joey was, but the way Lucy was speaking into the stupid thing made anger burst throughout he surface. _Why the fuck ya angry? Aint like she's yours. Too much of a pussy to even tell her ya want her _his head states for him. _She's anyone's pick since yer such a coward. _Daryl looks at the ground, his eyes narrowed. He didn't need this shit anymore. Lucy would be better off with anyone else besides him anyway.

Tara, looking at the device while Lucy spoke into it, decided to sneak a peek at who Lucy openly admitted into loving the other night. As she looked him over, she thought back to all the guys she dated, and to be honest, he sort of looked like someone who she would date, but no way in hell would she ever try for him. She could be weird, and crazy, sometimes even a bit of a bitch, but she was not a boyfriend stealer...or whatever Lucy and Daryl were. She noticed that his eyes were casted downwards and her brow furrowed. Why the hell would he be pissed off?

She looks back at the device and seeing Lucy laugh and smile at Joey's voice. It clicks.

Joey. Daryl. The laughs.

Oh, this was too damn good.

Tara smirks and walks over to the man, letting Lucy and Quinn talk to Joey. She picks something out of her pocket and stops in front of him. He looks up at the new person and his brow furrows. In her hand was a box of cigarettes. She smiles at him.

"Think of this as an introduction gift. Tara." He stares curiously at her for another moment before taking one from the packet. Tara takes one for herself and lights it up with one of her many lighters, then lets him use it. After both were lit, she places it back in her jeans pocket and takes a drag, smiling as the smoke came tumbling out of her mouth. "Haven't done this in a while." He grunts in agreement.

_Time to crack this motherfucker_ she thinks.

"So...you and Lucy, huh?" His head snaps over to her.

"How did ya-" Tara snorts.

"Please. Lucy told us all about you last night. Few men found her out in an abandoned house with her little girl. Brought her back last night. Pretty badass of her just going out and helping two people she didn't even know." Daryl nods, turning away.

"Yeah," he mumbles. Sounded like Lucy. Always having to be the damn heroine. Tara nods.

"Yeah," she mocks a bit. She takes another drag. "Now you're here. And acting jealous," she teases. His eyes widen.

"I aint-" She holds her hand up, signaling him to stop.

"Don't even try, Johnny Bravo," she starts, gesturing to his getup, reminding her of the old cartoon she used to watch when she was younger. "It's sort of obvious. Just to let you know, Joey is gay." His eyes widen.

"He's...what?" Tara smiles mischievously.

"You know. Gay, G-A-Y?" she says, spelling it out. "Homosexual, faggot, raging, really anything that sucks cock-"

"Ok, I get it," he cuts her off bluntly, looking away. Jesus, Lucy had some annoying buddies. Tara loosens her smile a bit, shrugging. She finishes her smoke and stomps it not he ground, putting it out.

"Just saying, they're probably are a lot of guys back at the mill who would love to tap that. I know she loves you. It's painfully obvious, but one can take so long when it comes to boys, and girls sometimes. She was a bit of an experimenter back in college." Daryl's eyes widen at that fact. Tara grins. "Only once," she laughs a bit. "Seriously. You're the one that she wants. Go for it." She ends her little speech by walking over to Lucy and taking the walkie talkie violently from her hands. Lucy glares at her

"I was talking to Joey!" she exclaims. Tara rolls her eyes.

"Well, now I am!" Lucy sticks her tongue out at her while Tara just sneers. Quinn rolls her eyes.

"It's never-ending with you two," she mumbles. Lucy smiles at her and walks over to Daryl. He was staring at the three with a perplexed look on his face.

"What?" she asks when she goes to him. He shrugs it off, looking back at the forest.

"That Tara chick," he mumbles. Lucy laughs.

"She introduce herself to you?" He nods. "What'd she say? Anything interesting?" He glances down at her smiling face and almost feels one come on himself. Just seeing her made this suck ass day better. Was this really what this sort of shit felt like? Whatever it was he was liking it...he didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. He shakes his head, now a a small grin on his face.

"Nah, nothin'." Lucy quirks an eyebrow. He was such a liar.

"Bullshit," she simply states. Daryl goes to retort but Quinn waves them over.

"Joey's telling us where to go!" Lucy nods her head towards Quinn, silently telling Daryl to follow her, which he does. If he wanted to get back to his own group, then he had to follow this blondes orders. He still couldn't believe that this woman in front of him was Quinn, the same one Lucy always gushed on and on about, how caring and sweet she was. She was certainly not that caring to some of the people back at Terminus. Quinn stares at the device. "Joey?! Who do you have with you?"

"At first it was just me, Tyler, and that Mary-Jane girl. The one who found the guns?" Quinn nods and Daryl's eyes widened. They took the guns?! How the hell did they find them?! "After a little while we found a shit ton of people hiding from some of the Termites. Few of them chased afterwards. Let's just say we took care of them nice and quickly." Tyler's voice intervenes.

"He took care of them! I had no part in this crap!" his voice cracked. Lucy could practically see Joey's rolling eyes.

"Sure, Tyler. Whatever keeps you sleeping at night. Anyway, most of the other group is here with us. Man named Rick said they were missing one person. That guy Daryl that Lucy was talking about." Lucy feels her cheeks redden again and Daryl looks at her with a raised eyebrow. She had been talking about him?

Tara sends Lucy a smug grin. "Yeah, we got him," she says into the walkie talkie. Joey sighs happily.

"Thank God. The group was going crazy trying to find him. Thought he was gone. I got in contact with Matt and he said that he was the closest to the mill. Where are you guys?" Quinn looks around the area, her face scrunched up.

"No fucking clue," she responds. Joey laughs.

"Ok," he chuckles. "I'm sure we're close to the mill. We haven't stopped walking for ages on end...super far from Terminus. Literally, it feels like we're walking into the sun." Quinn looks around and sees the sunset in the distance. She smiles.

"So you're closer to the sunset?"

"Yup. You're farther?"

"Yeah. Probably all the way at the other side."

"Hmm...we already talked this over. The mill is always very far from the sunset, so you're closest to it. How about you camp out for the night and we head over there in the morning? I'm sure you guys will be fine. Lucy told me you were like the 'Golden Trio' in school or something? Kicking ass and taking names?" Lucy steals the device from Quinn's hands.

"Hey!"

"I said that once!" Lucy quickly replies, her face turning an even deeper shade of red. Joey snorts.

"Sure," he rolls out. Lucy stomps her foot, like a little kid who was trying to get its way.

"I DID!" Quinn steals back the walkie talkie, sending a quick glare at Lucy.

"As you were saying Joey?" she grits out. Lucy looks at the floor, rubbing her arm. Even though Quinn was her best friend, she had the biggest temper that she had even witnessed, especially when someone interrupted her. Joey coughs a bit. Quinn's brow furrows. "Are you ok?" she asks worriedly. Joey chuckles lowly.

"M fine. Probably just a bit of a cold coming on. I can handle it." Quinn's eyes widen slightly, while Tara crosses her arms, looking scarily at the device.

"Joey, don't pull shit like that...are you sure it's not the virus we had a couple of weeks ago?" Lucy and Daryl share a glance. They had a virus too?

"I'm fine, Quinn. You're not gonna lose your best gay." Quinn smiles at the term.

"Ok...whatever you say."

"So? What do you say about the plan?" Quinn bites her lip and then nods slowly after a moment, thinking about his words.

"Yeah...I bet we could find somewhere to stay for the night," she mumbles.

"If I recall correctly, around five miles from the mill is a small neighborhood, maybe six or seven, I can't really remember, but there's a shit ton of houses there you could patch up. I'm pretty sure you can find it. It has to be close. Do you guys have any injuries or something?" Quinn looks them over but before she could reply Tara takes the small device.

"Let's remember this is mine!" she quickly states to Quinn. The older girl sends her a playful glare. Tara speaks into it. "Nah. Nothing bad. Few bruises and scratches, but other than that there's nothing to be worried about. Why? Do you guys have some problems." Joey sighs.

"Yeah...one girl got shot. Says her names Maggie." Lucy covers her mouth as she gasps. Fuck, was she ok?! "We're getting supplies on her...was only in the shoulder but you know. Those things hurt like a bitch. One of the men got bit from running away...but we took care of him. Other than that, everyone is ok." Lucy couldn't stop her voice.

"Who was the man?"

"Name's Dan. He was one of our men...really dorky though. Not surprised he got bit." Lucy felt a sigh escape her lips.

"Thank God," she mumbles. It wasn't someone from the prison group, but it was still bad to think that. This used to be a living, breathing man and she was thankful he was dead. She felt terrible now. Rubbing the back of her head, she lets Tara take the lead.

"Well...I'm pretty sure we can find something. We'll be fine. Joey, you keep that fine ass where you are and head out during the morning. Too dangerous at night." Joey laughs at the comment.

"Exactly what I was thinking. No one gets left behind. Night guys. Stay safe." Tara smiles and pulls the three girls into a huddle.

"Night Joey!" they all yell into the walkie talkie. They turn it off and giggle. Daryl leans against one of the tree's, rolling his eyes at this.

"Fucking girls," he mumbles, but deep down he was happy to see Lucy's smiling face again.

Tara places the talkie back in her belt and sighs, looking to the north.

"Let's find somewhere before it gets super dark. Come on."

**~%~**

It took them at least an hour to find the old and cracked down neighborhood, and because of this, Lucy honestly wanted to fall down to the ground and cry when they eventually did find it. Her adrenaline had far left her body, all the spunk gone, and the pain in her muscles was really starting to take over. Even if she had gotten out of Terminus alive, she still had plenty of bruises all up on her skin, and a massive headache that was not getting any better.

When they had gotten at least half way through the massive amount of houses, Tara finally stops and glances up at a tall one. It was around two stories, and in good condition. It sort of looked like one of those houses you would see in 'Sweet Home Alabama' or something like that. All that mattered was if the heat worked and if the doors could lock. More or less all Lucy cared about was the heat.

"You think its good?" Quinn asks, looking to Lucy for approval. Lucy just nods her head numbly, looking down at the ground, trying to get the pain to go away. Tara answers for her.

"She's fine with the idea. Let's head on inside." Lucy sighs quietly and follows her friends, Daryl right next to her. From the moment they stepped into the neighborhood he could see that all the energy had been drained from her body, but really right now was when he actually started to see exactly how tired the girl was. It looked as if with every step she took her eyes would droop.

As Quinn and Tara walked into the house, Lucy followed close behind her. The first thing she saw was the couch in living room, and she practically ran over to it and flopped onto the softness of the cushions. Tara and Quinn laugh.

"Tired?" they both ask.

"You have no idea!" she yells into the couch. Quinn and Tara laugh.

"Rest. We're gonna talk some shit over in the kitchen if you need us." Lucy sticks her thumb up in a 'great' motion, and she hears the two walk into the small room. Leaning up from the couch, she messes with her hair for a bit, it's dark brown lock getting tangled into small knots. Over the past year, her hair had gotten so long. She was starting to feel like Rapunzel.

She glances at the door and sees that Daryl had yet to come into the house. He was standing on the pathway, glancing out at the neighborhood in front of him. Tilting her head, she stands up and walks out the door, then walking over to him. Out of curiosity, she places a hand on his shoulder and he jumps a bit, looking back at her. She smiles small.

"You alright?" He shrugs his shoulders, looking back out into the wild.

"Don't know...Rick and the rest are where the hell knows where. Don't know if they'll find us." Lucy crosses her arms.

"Well," she starts out. "They're with Joey." Daryl snorts.

"Like that helps." Her eyebrows rise.

"It does." She finally moves in front of him so she could properly see what he thought. "Granted, I've known Quinn and Tara far longer then I've known Joey, but Joey...he's street smart and book smart...even if he's gay. He grew up in deep in the woods of New York, and he knew how to get around places like this. These people have been staying here for God knows how long, so Joey knows where he's going. He remembers everything." Daryl looks past her into the forest again.

"Whatever," he mumbles. Lucy smiles and takes his hand, much to his surprise.

"Come on. Let's head in." Wordlessly, he lets her take him inside, where Tara and Quinn were still talking feverently about something. She turns to him. "How about you go check out the house? I gotta ask these two a question." He shrugs again and looks around, while Lucy smiles to herself. It felt good to see his face again, and it felt even better that now that she found him, she didn't have to leave her daughter all alone at the mill. She would be right back.

Well, the next morning she would be.

Walking into the kitchen, she could smell the deathly oder that was coming from a fridge. Something had gone very bad in there and Lucy was not going to be the first one to find out what it was. Tara and Quinn were talking by the sink, their hands moving in obscene gestures, all around them. Lucy wondered what on earth they could be talking about that could get them so riled up.

"You two okay?" she asks. Quinn looks over at her with confusion written on her face.

"I thought you were sleeping? Did we wake you up?" Lucy rolls her eyes.

"I'm fine. Trust me. What about you two?" Tara rubs her eyes, seeming to inhabit Lucy's tiredness.

"We're trying to figure out how to get Joey's attention tomorrow. He knows where the neighborhood is, but he doesn't know which house. We don't want him going house to house, risking everyones lives, while he looks for us. We have to find some way to bring him here." Lucy bites her lip.

"Well...when we were walking, I saw an old church. I am Catholic, and with every church I've gone to, there are bells. Whether they're real or not. If you get in contact with Joey before he gets here, we could head on over there as quick as possible. When he's actually in the neighborhood, we ring the bells, and he'll know were to go because we're ringing them." Tara looks at her impressed.

"Wow," she states. "Where did that strategic brain come from?" Lucy smiles cheekily.

"I guess from this world. What do you think Qu-Quinn? Quinn you in there?" Quinn was currently staring at her in awe, her mouth hung open. She snaps out of her trance when Lucy talks to her.

"Have I ever told you that I love you?" she asks, and Lucy laughs. "If I haven't, I completely and utterly love you. Holy shit, that's a good plan." Lucy chuckles.

"It's not full proof. I mean, there are still walkers around the area and when those bells go off, they'll all go towards the sound. It's like ringing the dinner bell. No pun intended." Quinn laughs.

"Then we just have to move fast. Wow...we never would have thought of that. Thank God we got out with you." Lucy's cheeks redden for probably the umpteenth time that day. All these compliments were getting to her. She knew that if they had talked long enough they probably would have come up with the idea. They were just being nice.

"Please. You two are just as smart." Quinn snorts.

"Said the girl who got a full scholarship to NYU." Lucy smacks her shoulder playfully.

"You got a partial scholarship!"

"It wasn't a full one!" she fights back. Tara places an arm in between them.

"Darlings, you're both beautiful and so smart! Now, can we stop the pissing contest and get to securing this place?" Lucy and Quinn grin at each other.

"This is normal behavior for us," she chuckles. "Come on. Let's get to it."

**~%~**

It had taken them a while, but they successfully had put the house on lockdown for the small time they would be there. While Quinn and Tara had taken to the many doors in the house (seriously, there were like five doors that needed to be shut, and all of them led to the outside. Who would have thought a small house like this had that?) Lucy was focused on the windows.

So. Many. Fucking. **Windows.**

It seemed every single room in the entire fucking house had** at least **four windows. Some of them were broken, and some of them weren't, but either way, it drove Lucy crazy. There wasn't that much shit she could use to barricade this crap. It was annoying as hell trying to find stuff. At one point, she literally just took an old painting and snugged it in, nice and tight.

After her endless plight of trying to fix the windows up, she had gone out looking for Daryl throughout the house, but found that he was literally nowhere to be seen. He wasn't anywhere in the house at all.

Turns out that he had snuck away while they had been boarding up the place and somehow gotten back in. At first Lucy had been mad, but when she saw what he caught, which was a pretty big raccoon, she felt her anger slowly slip away.

After about an hour of making sure the permitter was safe, they had all settled down in the small-and she meant **small**-dining room and enjoyed a hearty meal of raccoon meat and somewhat clean water. In Lucy's opinion, this stuff was so much better than some of the stuff she ate when it was just her and Sammy.

And somehow, some fucking way, Tara had found alcohol deep in the basement of the old and abandoned house. Some beers and a bit of wine, enough for the four of them. Quinn raised an eyebrow at her.

"Have you even had alcohol, Tara?" Lucy and Quinn had...well, Quinn more than her. The only time Lucy ever had alcohol was when she had been touched, and she really didn't like remembering that. Tara laughs, her voice echoing off the walls of the dining room.

"I did all that shit in high school, and you think I wouldn't drink alcohol?! I take back what I said earlier! Damn, you are dumb." Quinn glares at her and throws a crimped up napkin at her face, while Tara easily dodges. Lucy laughed silently to herself, finishing off the rest of her meal. Daryl was staring at the two girls, amusement clearly written all over his face.

"Are they always like this?" Daryl mumbles to her so the two fighting girls wouldn't hear. Lucy smiles, nodding her head.

"Basically. This was my life for fifteen years. These two at each others heads."

"Sounds pretty stressful," he mutters. Lucy shakes her head.

"No way. They always make up in the end."

And they had, and sooner or later, they all sat in the living room, drinking their troubles away. Lucy had only had a few sips of her drink when she wanted to call it a night, but with some persuasion from Tara, she ended up finishing that beer, and the one after that, and the one after that. By then, she was starting to feel the effects of the alcohol and her vision was a bit blurry.

Finally, after that, her two friends let her go to her room, but Daryl had stayed. As she went up the stairs and heard them talking to him, she could help but feel a bit of jealousy invade her body, but she shook it off a moment later. Quinn had a fucking husband, and Tara...well, at least Tara obeyed the girls code.

She knew she wanted him. She wouldn't steal him from her...right?

She shakes her head as she reaches the top. She needed to lay down.

But after a straight two hours of doing nothing, boredom had seeped into her head. She had heard them all come up. Quinn she knew was asleep. Tara was probably drinking more...she headed out the door and down the hall to the room Daryl had taken for himself. The door was slightly opened, not even a bit of a peek.

She opens it slowly and peeks her head in, and nearly feels herself lose all the strength in her knees. Maybe it was the beverages she had just drank or something else, but he was shirtless, and it was a sight to see.

Granted she had seen him shirtless before, when she was patching up his chest back when they had gone deep into the woods, but right now she felt something completely different. Desire had made its way onto her. How did it look like he was even more fit now than the last time she saw him?

Shaking her head, she turns around and faces the back of the door, making sure he couldn't see her. She was not going to start this crap tonight. Not when they were in an abandoned house in the middle of nowhere...with Quinn and Tara in the rooms over.

She knocks on the door softly and hears him hit something, followed by cursing.

"Hold on!" he gruffly states. She could only guess he was putting on a shirt. Too bad. A moment later he opened the door, now having a sleeveless shirt on his body. His brow furrows seeing Lucy there. "Lucy? Why are ya still up?" She shrugs.

"I got bored." She walks easily past him and sits on his bed. He raises an eyebrow at her amusedly.

"Did I invite ya in?" She rolls her eyes and gets up, walking back over to the door. Facing him now, she places her hands on her hips and pouts a bit.

"Can I come in Daryl?" He chuckles at her expression and shrugs, opening the door wider. She smiles and runs back to the bed, laying down on the giant queen sized sheets. He closes the door behind him and turns to her.

"Why can't ya sleep?" he asks, coming over to the bed. She shrugs.

"I was thinking about stuff." He sits next to her on the bed and she leans up, crawling over to where she was across from him. His back was against the headboard as he crossed his arms.

"What stuff?" he asks. She raises an eyebrow at the question but answers it anyway.

"Sam, Quinn and Tara, Joey, the group...the fact you're back." She says the last bit quietly, waiting to see his reaction. They didn't really have time to talk when they were running from those asshole, even walking here she had been too tired to talk. Now, all she wanted to do was talk. She was afraid if she went to sleep everything that was happening would all be a dream.

He scoffs at the mention of him. "I'm not some amazing person." She smiles softly.

"Yeah...you are," she pursues. "No matter what you say about yourself, and how much you put yourself down, you're not that...and you have _no _idea how much Sam and I missed you. When she sees you she's gonna go crazy." At that, Daryl feels a small smile tug at the corners of his lips. Hearing that from Lucy made him feel a whole shit ton better than how he had been feeling the past couple of days.

"Yeah...I missed ya too," he replies quietly. She smiles brighter. "Sam too. Looked for ya...couldn't find any signs though." She shrugs.

"It was the same with you. I had such a hard time looking...but I knew you were okay, like you always are." He looks down at the bed at this.

"Yeah," he mumbles. She bites her lip.

"How old are you?" He looks back up with confusion on his face.

"Why?" She shrugs.

"We've known each other for how many months now? Three? Four? I don't even know, but I realized I don't know the simple things. Thought I'd learn now. Heaven knows I'm not going to sleep." He stays silent for a second before replying.

"Thirty-five."

**~%~**

**Six. Hours. **

They had talked for six hours straight that night, each asking each other random questions and telling random stories. Though Lucy had been the one who asked the most, Daryl had exchanged his fare few.

She told him all about her life back home, her family, her dad. She told him how she met Quinn and what they had been through. She told him about when she got pregnant and having to deal with all the comments, and then her audition into college. She told him about how she met Joey and how she took care of Sam while being in school. She told him about dance, music, everything.

It wasn't just that, though. She told him all her favorite things even if he didn't mind. Her favorite songs, colors, movies, anything. She wanted him to know her more than the twenty two year old with the four year old daughter.

In return, he told some stories about his past, but she didn't mind that it wasn't a lot. She knew that it was a sensitive subject for him, but she learned about his brother, Merle, and what he was like, as well as how he learned how to hunt and track. He told her how he got lost nine days in the woods, to which she snickered a bit at the itchy ass part. Either way, she listened to every word.

By three AM, it had been six hours, and both had shifted their positions. Daryl was lying more down on the bed now, but his head was still up against the headboard. Lucy, on the other hand, had her entire body snuggled into the left side of his, and her head was nestled in the crook of his neck.

He didn't complain at the head placement. In fact, a part of his head was resting on top of hers, just relaxing and listening to her talk. He hadn't felt this relaxed in a long time.

"Hey, you never told me who you got out with. Or were you by yourself?" She feels him turn slightly stiff at the mention of the prison. She stayed quiet, not going on with it.

"I...got out with Beth." Lucy stayed quiet. Something must have happened. "Ran away together. Started to really lose hope of finding someone, even a trace, but she was too damn stubborn to believe that, and we tried lookin' for ya, but ya know how that happened." She shrugs softly. "After a while we took place in an old funeral home, thought we could stay there for a while, secure it. Buncha walkers came through, separated us...after I got out, all I saw was her being taken away in a car."

Oh shit. He was blaming himself for this.

"Daryl," she starts, but he interrupts her.

"Ran all night to try and find her, but didn't find shit. Another group took me in...bunch of assholes. After a few days I found Rick, Carl and Michonne, and a day after that we found the rest of the group." He moves his head and looks down. "I ran all night, Lucy. All fucking night. I couldn't even keep 'er safe."

She moves from her side and climbs on top of him, both her knees on either side of his body, straddling his hips and takes his face in her hands, looking deep into his eyes, no matter how surprised he may be. All she saw was pain and disappointment in himself for this. It broke her heart.

"Daryl, I'm sure you kept her going as long as you could, and this isn't your fault at all. By the time you got out, the car was already driving away. There was no chance you could have caught the guy. But you know what? I'm sure she's surviving right now because she learned from you. Beth is strong and smart, even if sometimes she can be silly. This is not your fault," she repeats, trying to get the point across.

He stares at her, dark blue eyes connected to his own light blue. She was dead serious about this. She didn't want him to do this to himself like he was doing right now. Just staring into her eyes...it somehow made everything better.

Wow, he was becoming soft. If Merle saw him now. He could almost hear the harsh words he would be saying, telling him how much of a pussy he was, but everything just disappeared when Lucy held his face like this. Her hands were so soft and small, compared to his rough exterior. His thoughts wandered a bit, thinking of how she would feel underneath him, her body pressed into his, her mouth moving against his own.

All his thoughts travel south and he curses inwardly as he feels his pants tighten, and he knew that Lucy noticed his hard on, but her eyes stayed connected on his, though they were a bit darker now. She moved her hands down to his neck, coming closer to him. He didn't move and inch.

"Do you believe me?" she asks softly, almost in a torturously low voice. He gulps a bit as her arms encircle his neck.

"Yeah," he replies quietly, his eyes bouncing from her own to her lips. She sticks out her tongue and licks them instinctively, and he looks back up. She takes a minute to examine his toned arms and she smiles a bit.

"Why do you always wear no sleeves?" He furrows his brow a bit at the question, but smirks a second later.

"Why do ya always wear long sleeves?" he retaliates. She gives him her sexiest half smile she could muster, and he feels his breath get taken away. Jesus, she was so sexy.

"We all have our secrets." She guessed the alcohol had finally taken over, and she leaned close to him, her lips brushing his. "I'm done keeping one."

That was is. He was done. He feels something deep within him snap, and his hands have a mind of their own, reaching out and grabbing her hips, almost bruising. Her arms tighten around his neck, and finally, after probably months of fighting, their lips collide in a passionate kiss, not even giving time for foreplay. They wanted this, and they wanted this now.

This was long overdue.

**~%~**

**Oh, I'm mean ;)**

**Review please? :) Luv ya!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Thank you to the following people for reviewing my story! I'm so happy you did!:**

jeanf

ErinGoesRawr

MonkeysGoBoo

Kima Wolfwood

DarylDixon'sLover

**All of you are amazing! And thank you to the new followers and favorites! You people always inspire me to keep writing. I've been out all day looking at colleges to attend in the coming years and I'm SO happy to be home and writing. Thank God. **

**Now, on with the story!**

**~%~**

_**She had never felt so spent in her life. **_

Lucy had literally been through hell and back. She had killed several men who had tried to touch her or her daughter, fought back so hard. She had stabbed, shot, split, and cut open walkers twice her size.

And yet, she had never felt so tired then she was right now.

Her breathing was ragged and her body was sore.

But no, she hadn't fought off walkers.

Or men.

Or even exercised a bit.

She had done the one thing that she had wanted to do for a long time but never even thought would happen.

She had sex with Daryl Dixon.

And Jesus was she fucking tired.

She didn't even know how it happened. One minute they were making out like teenagers, actually surprising Lucy, as she thought he would easily reject her, and the next their clothes were on the floor and they were going at it like wild animals, trying to get as much of each other as possible.

It had been sort of awkward at first. As soon as his lips touched hers she knew she wanted more, but he almost treated her like glass, like she was something...precious, or some shit like that. And that's what literally made her pounce like a tiger onto him, telling him to go as hard as he wanted to.

She hated being treated like that, like she was going to break if he snapped on her and went full on. Though he acted different towards her and Sam, protected them and cared about them, he knew she was strong. He knew she had done and seen some shit, and she was a much better shooter than most people out there.

But when it came to this sort of connection, suddenly she was a small stick that could easily be broken. She wanted to slap him but kiss him at the same time.

After they had gotten passed that little obstacle, it had been smooth sailing from there, and the most pleasure rocketed experience she had ever had in her life. She felt amazing, like all the pressure of the world had been lifted off her shoulder. All the stress gone, evaporated in the thin and moist air outside.

Now, she was panting, laying partially under Daryl's body. Both of them were glazed with sweat, trying to get their breathing back to normal. The silence between them was perfectly fine with Lucy. She barely had a good state of mind right now. It wasn't until she moved a bit, and by a bit she met a small inch, that Daryl spoke.

"Shit Lucy," he groans quietly, closing his eyes for a second. She smiles at him.

"What?" she snickers. His eyes still closed, he lays his head in-between her breasts, sighing deeply.

"What the hell did we just do?" he mumbles. She scrunches her eyebrows, a small smirk adoring her face.

"I thought you of all people would know," she chuckles. He lifts his head up and for once, she could see the seriousness in his eyes. She loses her cockiness and leans up a bit, causing him to move as well. "Ok, you're serious. What're you talking about?"

He rolls off and lays next to her, staring up at the ceiling for a moment before sitting up and leaning against the headboard. She stays on the sheets, looking up at him, one of her arms keeping her head up. Her head was tilted slightly to the right, an indication of her confusion.

"Daryl, what's wrong?" she asks again, trying to get his attention. His mouth opens as if to speak but no words escape. He was still staring down at the sheets. She leans up, taking one of the sheets with her to cover up her body and leans against the headboard as well. A sudden thought popped into her head. "Was I bad?"

His eyes widen slightly and he shakes his head. "God no. Shit, that's the problem," he replies quietly, wiping his sweat glistened face with one of his hands. She tilts her head again.

"That I wasn't bad?" she tries to confirm.

"That ya were good. _Too good,_" he mumbles. Her eyes narrow. She had a feeling she knew where this was going.

"Daryl-"

"Lucy, I'm fucking old enough to be yer dad! This aint right!" And there it was. She knew it would come. Not this early, but she knew it would come. Prepared to go off on a long speech about this shit, he surprises her by still talking. She thought he would be done after that statement. "I...I aint no good for ya, Lucy," he whispers. "Ya need someone like Rick or whoever that Joey guy is, not...not someone like me."

God, this man was nothing but self loathing.

She moves the sheet and faces him again, this time forcing him to lay down back on the bed, only his head propped up. She places herself right near him, her face inches from his own, their noses touching.

"You listen right now, Dixon," she growls, surprising the hell out of Daryl. He didn't even know she knew how to be angry like that. "First off, thirteen years is shit. Age is just a fucking number. It was then, and it still is now. Don't give me that 'old enough to be,' because it doesn't mean anything. Secondly, I'm pretty fucking sure Rick and Michonne are together, or at least _something_ is going on there, and Joey is **gay. **Sure, he's a good looking guy, but he wouldn't be into me in a million years, and I wouldn't be into him, because you know why? I want **you**, Daryl. You and only you. You're just as much of a man as Rick is, and even more badass than Joey, if not better. You're a good man, Daryl. I want all of you, all your imperfections, all your scars, all your insecurities...everything. I want all those little things and even the bigger things too... and if anyone is too good for someone in here, it's you to me. Heaven knows I'm not an angel, more like a fallen one, but you're mine, and I need you. For such a long time. I...I love you."

For a moment he didn't say anything, just stared at her. She kept her eye contact, not breaking it one bit. After probably ten seconds of no reply, she sighs and begins to pull back, but it surprised when his arms wrap around her and pull her body on top of him, his lips meeting hers in a hot, scorching, and passionate kiss.

She moans at the contact but keeps her hands firmly planted on the bed so she didn't fall completely on top of him. After about a moment, though, the passionate kiss turned into soft and sweet ones, much gentler and shorter, but with the same amount of affection that any of the ones he had given her had. He pulls back slightly so he could catch his breath, his eyes closed as well as hers, their foreheads touching.

"Lucy..." he starts, but she knew he would have a hard time talking after that speech she just gave. She instead gives him another soft kiss, effectively silencing him.

"It's fine, Daryl. You don't need to say anything. I just wanted you to know," she replies softly, sliding off the top of him and beginning to curl into his side, but as soon as she lays down on the sheets, he towers over her again, placing another gentle kiss on her lips. She returns it, though tiredly. When he pulls back he was staring into her eyes again.

"Lucy, I..." He stops, looks down for a second, and then looks back up. "I realized it when I first heard ya singin'."

She froze where she laid, her complete attention on Daryl now. Was he admitting to what she thinks? He went on.

"I tried to fight it for so long...so fuckin' long. I knew it would be nothin' but trouble if that happened but then ya and Sam grew on me and everything just...happened. I was so fuckin' worried about ya and Sam...took me this whole entire shit storm to get me to realize it. I just...I don't know what I'd do if ya both were dead," he murmurs, almost whimpering. She finally regains her senses and leans up, cupping his face with her hands and kissing him like there was no tomorrow.

Well, that was actually an option now in this fucked up world.

"Nothin's gonna happen to me or to Sam," she replies softly when she pulled away. "I'm too fucking stubborn to die anyway. I wouldn't let that happen in a million years." She could still see the doubt in his eyes. "Daryl, you have to trust me," she says sternly.

"I do," he replies quietly. "I'm just...fuck, Lucy if ya get taken or hurt or even close to what happened at the prison again I don't even know what I'd do anymore. I can't...I'm..." Lucy thinks back to the prison. Shit, she wondered if he knew that Carol helped Marcus with the whole poisoning thing. This wasn't the time to talk about that. Later.

"It's fine, Daryl. Everything's okay," she murmurs, kissing him one last time. "Now," she starts when she pulls back again. "We're gonna go to sleep, get up, find the rest of the group and head back to the mill. I know there's a little girl there who's waiting anxiously for me to get back, and when she sees you she'll go ballistic." He smiles a bit and she feels his muscles relax at the mention of Sam.

She lays down on the bed and he follows easily after, spooning her into his arms. She snuggles her chest a bit against his naked chest, but she didn't feel cold at all. There was literally nowhere else that she would rather be right now than in his arms.

"She change much?" he asks softly after a few minutes of silence. Lucy smiles.

"Nah, still same Sammy...just a bit more depressed. The prison had a bit of an effect on her." She feels his grip tighten ever so slightly.

"No little kid should see that," he mutters lowly. Lucy sighs.

"Yeah, but in this world, you can't really prevent it. I would if I could." His grip loosens a bit, but she feels him relax after a few. "We also have a dog now." She could practically feel his confusion.

"What?" he asks. She snickers a bit.

"We found him all by himself after all his other brothers and mother were killed. We couldn't just leave him. I would be a terrible person if I did that." He snorts a bit.

"Impossible," he mutters quietly. She smiles. He still had no idea what Tara and her had done in high school. Jesus, it was bad. She was a very undisciplined girl back then.

After a few minutes, she feels her mind finally start to slip off into dreamland, but not before she heard those three, quiet words and a small kiss to the back of her head.

"_I love ya_."

She smiles and pretends to stay asleep. That was probably the only reason he had said it right now. She still loved it either way.

**~%~**

Tara found coffee.

And she needed coffee right now. _Especially_ right now.

She had been up to who the hell knows what hour last night, and was a first hand witness to the sounds of the lovemaking in the room next to hers. As much as she was cheering for those two to finally get together, she was not a fan of the constant moans and groans.

She sipped the hot liquid and sighed as it entered her body, instantly creating a peace and serenity sort of vibe around her. Looking outside, she realized that Joey was sure to be on his way right now, and that all of them should be heading over to the church, but she knew everyone was still asleep...or at least thought, as Quinn came walking into the kitchen, scratching her head.

She smiles at Tara. "Good morning." Tara raises an eyebrow.

"Good morning?" she questions. "You're telling me you slept last night?" Quinn's brow furrows as she takes a mug of coffee for herself.

"Yes...why wouldn't I?" she replies, sitting in the chair across from Tara. The younger girl shakes her head, a smile on her face. She looks down at the table and sighs.

"Oh Quinn...you are so oblivious to your best friend," she chuckles. Quinn's brow furrows even more.

"Tara, what the hell happened?" she asks sternly. Tara rolls her eyes.

"What happened is that you didn't hear those two rolling around like fucking caged tigers!" she laughs. Quinn tilts her head, wondering what on earth she could be talking about until it hit her. Her eyes widen.

"They had sex?!" she whispers fiercely. Tara bursts out laughing at this.

"More that that honey! I lot more! Man, they were so loud I'm surprised lurkers didn't wander up to the house to see what all the hubbub was about! Shit, I couldn't get to sleep until four in the morning because of them!" Quinn sits back down, her face now full of shock.

"Damn, I knew they liked each other but didn't think it would happen so soon," she mumbles, taking another sip of her coffee. Tara snorts.

"It happened," she replies. "And much more." They hear a door close and Quinn jumps, choking on her coffee. Tara laughs at this. While they were busy, they didn't notice a slightly pissed off Daryl walk into the kitchen, staring at the two in confusion.

"What the fuck are ya two laughin' at this fuckin' early?" he questions, waling over to the mug of coffee. Quinn finishes her choking fit while Tara smiles at him.

"Oh, nothing," she replies quirkily. "What were you moaning about last night?" She sees him freeze for a millisecond but plays it off.

"I wasn't doin' anything last night," he replies. Quinn snorts.

"Yeah. You sure you weren't doin' Lucy?" And that's when he chokes on his own coffee. The two girls laugh. He turns to them and Tara notices he had the smallest tint of red on his cheeks.

"Ya don't-"

"Oh, shut up, Daryl," Tara laughs. "It was so loud, dude. You can't hide it." He opens his mouth again to reply, but Lucy stepping into the room quietly stopped him. Quinn and Tara look over at her with a smile on their faces. She quirks an eyebrow.

"What are you talking about?" she asks suspiciously. The two girls laugh harder than ever and stand up.

"You know what? We'll just go outside! Come on, Quinn," Tara laughs. Quinn easily follows, clutching her stomach as they went out the front door. Lucy was still confused. She turns to Daryl.

"What was going on with them?" she asks, walking over to the coffee.

"They know what happened last night," he mumbles. Lucy snorts.

"I'm not surprised. Tara was always a peeping Tom. Then she'd tell Quinn and they would have a laughing fit. I'm sure that was what she just did." She takes a sip of the coffee and turns to him. "What? Are you that embarrassed about it?" she chuckles.

"Not that, just don't need people talkin' about it," he mumbles. She smiles softly at him and leans up, giving him a quick peck on the lips.

"Hey, it's fine. They're just being my friends." He snorts.

"Annoying friends," he mutters. She smiles.

"Yeah, but I love them." She takes another sip and places the mug back down on the table. "Ready to find your group?" He nods but she sees a bit of mistrust in his eyes. "Daryl, what's up?"

"I'm not really good with...this," he replies, waving a hand in between them. She tilts her head a bit. "Never really had...a relationship like this." She smiles wider.

"Hey, neither have I, but as long as I know how you feel, I'm fine. I don't need public affection or anything like that. I just need you, and that's that. I don't want you walking away." He looks back at her.

"I'm not gonna," he murmurs. She reaches up and gently scrubs off a bit of dirt that laid on the side of his face and he sighs quietly, leaning into her hand a bit. She leans up and kisses him slowly before pulling back and smiling at him, while he had his own small one on his face. "Not gonna get sick of that smile though," he continues. She laughs.

"You think we would have found each other if this whole shit storm didn't start?" Daryl snorts.

"Hell no. Ya would have been in New York, in college and making money and I would have been down here with my dumbass brother. There would have been no way in hell." She grabs his hand.

"Well, I guess that's the only good thing about this world," she mumbles. He opens his mouth to reply but Tara's loud voice interrupts them both.

"Hey! Love birds! We gotta get going! Quit the snogging and get out here!" Daryl glares at the open front door and Lucy laughs.

"Come on, let's head out," she chuckles, taking Daryl outside. When they reach the front lawn, Tara offers them both a smirk.

"Have fun in there?" She gets two middle fingers to the face.

**~%~**

When they got to the church, Lucy was the first one to go to the top. She had never been to any sort of bell towers even if she was Catholic. She wanted to see what it looked like properly. When she got to the top, she marveled at the beauty all around. There was a rope that was connected to many large bells that hung from the steeple, and there was artwork on them.

There were no windows, just plain open space. She could see a valley from where she stood, looking out into the forest, the rising sun casting a slightly shadow over the ground.

"Lucy?! You up there!?" she hears Tara scream from below. Lucy nods.

"Yeah! I'm up!"

"Then ring those bells, girl!" she replies. "We'll keep a lookout!" Lucy nods and pulls the rope, and the most beautiful sound emits from the bells, all of them swinging back and forth, creating a beautiful melody. Lucy sort of just stood there, listening to the beautiful music. This felt like something she would dance too.

And that's exactly what she did.

All the memories of all the ballet classes and everything came back to her in a whirlwind of movements, her body spinning just as it used to back in college. Every thought she ever had spiraled out of her body as she danced. She finally felt like how she was before all of this, any pain or coherent idea gone.

When the bells started to end, she stopped and heard yelling downstairs, some cheering, and some crying. They were here.

She runs down the stairs and into someones back, sending them flying to the ground. She lands with an 'oof' her head spinning.

"Always graceful, you were," the man groans. Lucy's eyes snap open and she meets Joeys brown ones. She hugs him tightly.

"Thank God you're okay!" she cries softly. Joey's arms go around her in a tight hug as well.

"Same with you, Lucy," he murmurs. Lucy's eyes connect with Daryl's and she sees the fierce glare he was sending Joey's way. She rolls her eyes again.

"He's gay!" she mouths to him.

"Don't care," she sees him mumbles. She laughs and pulls back.

"Give me a second, okay?" she states to Joey. The man nods and she gets up, running over to the prison group. Everyone else from the mill was talking to Quinn and Tara. The first person she runs to is Maggie. "I'm so glad you're okay," she mumbles. Maggie laughs.

"You too, Lucy," she replies. "Didn't really have a good reunion then." Lucy snorts.

"You think?" she chuckles. One by one she talks with everyone, her conversation with Rick being the longest. Next to Hershel, Rick was the other person that she actually liked giving her orders and telling her what advice to do.

"Have you been with these people long?" he asks quietly. Lucy shakes her head.

"No, only a few days, but trust me, they're good. Great, actually. The mill is well protected."

"Then how were they able to take two people away?" Michonne asks. Lucy didn't have an answer for that.

"I don't know. Somehow they found someway to get in, but I'm sure everything is patched up now. As soon as something goes wrong, they find a way to fix it. They're safe."

"How do ya know they're not crazy or something? You've only been there for what? A day?" Lucy looks over and sees three people she hadn't seen once at the prison. They had to be new. One of them had a mullet that could put Billy Ray Cyrus' to shame, another was a woman with legs like hers, very fit and strong, and the one who was speaking to her had very ginger hair and an...interesting beard. She didn't know what it was called.

"No offense, but who are you?" she asks. "I'm pretty sure I've never seen you."

"Sergent Abraham Ford," he replies. "This is Eugene," he states, pointing to man with the mullet. "And Rosita," he finishes, pointing to the woman. Lucy smiles unsurely. The woman looked nice, and Abraham was at least being polite, but that Eugene guy sort of creeped her out.

"Lucy," she introduces herself. "But I know they're not like that. I knew these people from before all this. Rick, that girl over there? The one with the blonde hair?" she asks, pointing over to Quinn, who was currently talking with Matt happily her arms around his neck. Rick nods. "That's Quinn. That's the girl I always talk about."

"She is?" Rick questions. Lucy nods.

"That's her! And Joey and Tara? Those are two more of my closest friends. Quinn's parents are also there, and they run the mill. All of them are okay and sane."

"What the hell is the mill anyway?" Rosita asks, coming forward. "I've heard it from several people."

"The mill is a little community that runs off an old watermill, which means the whole entire place runs because theres a river there. You never have to worry about something running out of energy or our heat leaving because it runs on water and the water doesn't stop! Just have to keep the place in good condition. It's not like Terminus and all those creepy people. It's safe."

The group was silent for a second before Rick nods, half the reason being that they knew they would lose Daryl if they didn't go. Now that they found each other, Daryl would stick to her side like glue trying to keep her alive.

"It sounds good."

"Jesus!"

"FUCK. What the hell?!" a girls voice screams from one of the rooms in the church. If it wasn't painfully sounding, Lucy would have laughed. It sounded like it came from the sacristy, which was the most holy place besides the alter in the whole god damn place. The first voice was Carl's, but the second was she didn't know.

Everyone rushes over to where the sound was, and everyone sees Carl standing there shocked, a knife in his hand, fresh blood adoring it, while a girl, probably around Carl's age, with dark brown hair tied back in a ponytail was clutching her side as it bled steadily. Carl had stabbed her.

"Carl, what the hell did you just do?!" Rick exclaims walking over to his son while people went over to the girl.

"She tried to attack me!" The girl glares at him.

"I was fucking surprised you stupid asshole!" she screams at him. One of the women reaches for her but she pulls herself out of their reach. "Fuck off!" Lucy's eyebrows raise. This girl had some mouth.

"We're just trying to help!" Tara states.

"I don't need your fucking help! For all I know you're working for Terminus!"

"Honey, we just escaped that place. We're not working for them," Eugene states monotony.

"Don't fucking call me honey," she snaps at him. "And that's bullshit! No ones ever escaped that hell hole!"

"You apparently did," Carl states bluntly.

"I was never in it! My sister was...is in it." Even the most oblivious person in the room could feel her pain and doubt. "And I'm getting her back one way...or another," she grinds out. When she takes a stop though, she falls straight to the ground in pain with a sharp hiss, and clutches the wound tighter.

"Yeah, well, yer not gettin' anywhere close to that place if ya don't get that fixed," Daryl states. The girl directs her hard stare to him, her blue eyes narrowed.

"I don't need your fucking help!" she sneers. "I'll be fine!" She tries to stand again but fails miserably, clutching onto the wall with her other hand.

"I think you do," Quinn states.

"No I...fucking hell...fuck you," she states softly, finally slumping to the ground in defeat, her hand still clutching her side. Lucy takes this as her version of saying yes, so she's the first one to walk over and kneel down to where the girl sat. The teen looked at her with hatred, but she could also see pain and fear inside those eyes as well.

Something told her this girl had been through a lot.

"We're not gonna hurt you," Lucy starts off. "If you want to stay alive, you have to get that fixed, and we can do that, but you need to cooperate with us so we can get you there safely, okay?" she speaks softly. She sees the hatred leave the girls eyes, but the distrust was still there.

"Fine," she mutters. Lucy nods.

"Where's your parents?" The girl freezes for a moment before glaring down at the ground.

"Gone." That was probably one of the reasons why she was so bitter.

"Okay...we'll talk more later, but right now we need to get back. Someone carry her." The girls eyes widen.

"WHAT? No way! No fucking way am I gonna let one of you carry me!"

"If you walk you'll just lose more blood and pass out. This is safer for you and for us." The girl stares for a second before slumping again. She wasn't gonna win this battle.

"Fine," she mutters again. Lucy nods and stands.

"I'll take her," Eugene states quickly, walking over. The girls head snaps to him and Lucy sees all the fear she had become bigger. Lucy's head tilts, but that was because she didn't see the hungry look in Eugene's eyes. Lucky for the girl, Daryl saw it.

"Nah, I got her," Daryl quickly states. Lucy's head snaps to his and she furrows her brow. Out of all the people in here, she thought Daryl would be the last one to volunteer.

"Daryl I-"

"I got her," Daryl repeats harder this time, getting to the girl before Eugene could. The old man stares at Daryl, and even he could see the venom in his eyes, but what could he do? He wasn't that much of an asshole to let an old fuck look hungrily at a young girl.

"Okay," Lucy states quietly. "Come on. Let's head back to the mill. We gotta move fast. Everyone move out." Most of the group leaves, and Lucy watches some of them go. Rick was talking to Carl, but she couldn't tell what the hell they were saying. She could guess they were talking about the girl. When everyone except for Quinn, Lucy, Daryl and the girl was left, Quinn turns to the girl.

"Your sisters in Terminus?" she asks. The girl nods glumly. A new determination was set in Quinn's eyes. "We'll get her back, but you need to heal. Come on, Lucy." Lucy nods but looks to Daryl quickly.

"You sure you don't want Eugene to take her? He seemed-"

"It's fine," he flatly states. "I got this." Lucy nods.

"Okay...hurry up. Gotta get back there." Quinn takes Lucy's hand and leads her away like an older sister would do to the younger. The girl stares at them leave.

"Okay, come on," Daryl mumbles, offering the girl a hand. She stares at it for a second before taking it gratefully, still clutching her side. Once she's on her feet, he takes her up in his arms, her hand still attached to her side.

"She your girlfriend?" she asks softly, finally starting to feel the affects of the blood loss. Daryl huffs a bit, repositioning the girl a bit so she would be easier to carry.

"Yeah," he mumbles. She nods. "What's yer name, kid?"

"Emily," she mutters. He nods at this and catches up with the rest of the group. "Thank you," she adds on quietly, indicating to the situation with Eugene before. Daryl narrows his eyes at the man who was walking dangerously close to Lucy, but thankfully Quinn was so busy talking to her that she didn't notice a thing and the old fuck couldn't try anything.

"Aint nothin' to thank, kid."

**~%~**

They had made their way back to the mill uneventfully. There had been a few walkers, but with the amount of people they had in the group they were easily taken out. Eventually, Emily had passed out in Daryl's arms from the blood loss, her eyes completely shut and her body still. Lucy had made her way back to where Daryl was walking, near the back. The both of them were keeping quiet so the girl wouldn't wake up. The pain would be unbearable if she did.

"Did the bleeding stop?" she asks him quietly. He nods.

"Yeah, but she lost a lot." She nods, looking back to the front. "There blood there?" he asks.

"That's a question for Quinn, but I'm sure we do." She looks to the sleeping girl and smiles slightly. When she was sleeping, she looked safe and secure, unlike how afraid and guarded she was like before. "Whats her name?"

"Emily." She smiles at the name.

"Nice," she replies. "You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say she was your daughter." His eyes widened.

"Why?" he asks astonished. She shrugs, a small smile on her face.

"Well, she looks like you. Dark brown hair, blue eyes...when I saw them. Also has the spunk about her...as well as a mouth. Says fuck every other sentence." He snorts a bit.

"Amazed me with how much she said it," he mumbles. She laughs a bit.

"Yeah, so was I." She bites her lip as the mill comes into view. "That's it."

"Really?" he asks as they step out of the forest. She nods.

"Yup." She looks up at him. "Daryl...Carol's here." His eyes widen again.

"What?" he whispers. "She is?"

"Yeah, but...uh, I need to tell you something," she mutters. He stops and stares at her, waiting for her to talk. "Carol helped Marcus." His brow furrows.

"No, she didn't," he replies. "Carol wouldn't do somethin' like that."

"Daryl, she openly admitted it to me! I swear to God!" she cries silently. He shakes his head, looking back ti the group.

"She...she may have killed those two people but she didn't openly poison ya. I...she..." He couldn't even say anything.

"Daryl, she was working with Marcus. She's loved you for so long, babe. She would do anything to get to you, and that includes poisoning me and helping Marcus hurt Sam. Daryl you have to believe me! You have to trust me on this!" Daryl stays silent, looking down at the ground. Lucy waits for him to reply but he says nothing. She shakes her head. "Fine. Whatever. I knew you wouldn't believe."

She starts to walk away but one of his free hands reaches out and grabs her. She glares at him.

"Daryl-"

"I believe ya," he mutters quietly. "I'm just...shocked. Mad, mostly." Lucy frowns a bit, helping him with his hold on Emily.

"I just wanted you to know, okay? Before you saw her again." He nods. "I told you. We're in this together." He smiles a bit, a small half smile that she loved seeing. Leaning up, she places a quick kiss on his lips which he happily returns.

"Get a...room," they hear from under them. Both look down and see Emily's eyes opening, cringing in pain at the open wound on her stomach.

"When did ya wake up?" Daryl asks confused.

"When you...nearly dropped me...when you reached for her." Lucy laughs slightly and Daryl's cheeks redden.

"Sorry, kid," he mutters.

"This hurts," she whimpers. That wakes them up. They finally follow the group inside.

"Don't worry, Emily. We'll get you fixed up," Lucy states softly as the teen passes out again.

**~%~**

Emily was in the medical room there, her wound being taken care of, while Lucy brought Daryl back to her room. She told Quinn to tell her mother that they were back and to send Sam back to the room she and Lucy were staying in. Now...she was wondering how she was gonna ask him to stay with her and Sam.

"You think she'll be okay?" Lucy asks about Emily. Daryl nods.

"Kids tough. Got spirit on her." Lucy nods and takes out the key to her room. "Ya know. The only reason why I carried her was because of Eugene." Lucy offers him a glance.

"Why?"

"Old fuck was looking at her like she was a piece of meat." Her eyes widen for a second before a look of disgust comes across her face.

"Fucking gross," she mutters. She opens the door and walks in, happy to be back. He looks around the place, sniffing the air.

"Nice," he mumbles. She smiles and shrugs.

"I guess. It's better than being on the run." She turns to him and pulls him into the middle of the small living room. "So, you're here now," she chuckles, leaning up and giving him a slow kiss. He returns it, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer. "And now we have a room," she mumbles against his lips. He pulls back, a soft snicker coming from him.

"Jesus, yer gonna be the death of me, woman." She laughs.

"Maybe, but what a death it'll be," she sighs happily, giving him another quick peck on the lips. When she pulls back, she lays her forehead against his. "So, wanna stay here?" His brow furrows.

"What?"

"Stay? In the room with Sam and I. I'm sure she'll be happy, and I'm the one asking." He's silent for a second before leaning in for another gentle kiss. When he pulls back, his eyes were closed.

"Ya sure?" he murmurs. She smiles.

"Never been more sure of anything else in my life," she replies. He nods and she smiles, giggling slightly.

The door suddenly creaks open and Daryl steps back a bit, but keeps his arms loosely around her, but when the small head of dark brown hair peeks into the room, he knew exactly who it was. Lucy let go of him and goes over to the door as it opens all the way. Sam's face was tear streaked. Jesus, she was only gone for a day and she was a mess.

"Sammy, I'm ok, see? I'm fine." Sam throws her arms around her mother tightly, burying her head into her shoulders.

"I missed you so much!" she cries. Lucy hugs her tighter.

"So did I," she murmurs quietly. "But hey, I brought someone." Sam pulls back and stares at her mother.

"Who?" Lucy smiles.

"Look behind me." Sam adverts her eyes to behind her mother, and they widen, shock clearly written on her face.

"Mr. Daryl?" she whispers amazed, letting go of her mother. Daryl smiles at the small girl, the same half smile that Lucy had seen earlier.

"Yeah, Sam. It's me," he says quietly. She stares again for a second before she breaks, running away from Lucy and towards him.

"Mr. Daryl!" she exclaims. He kneels down just in time to catch her in his arms, nearly sending him to the ground with the amount of force she applied to him. Her small arms tighten around him and he gives her his own hug. "You're okay! You're not gone!" she cries.

"I aint goin' nowhere. Never again," he mumbles into her hair, casting a quick glance over at Lucy who was smiling at the scene. He gives her a quick wink and her smile widens even more. When Sam pulls back she sticks out her pinky. His brow furrows. "What for?"

"Swear!" she states sternly. "Swear you're not leaving!" Daryl chuckles. Just like that first morning. God, had that really been that long ago.

"I swear," he replies, giving her his pinky so that she could shake it. She smiles and hugs him again.

"Don't break it!" Lucy walks over to them.

"Trust me, he won't," she chuckles, pulling Sam back slightly, looking like the poor guy was having trouble breathing with her tight grip, but he was happy all the same. Sam smiles brightly at her. "See? I told you I'd bring him back."

**~%~**

**Damn, these are getting long! But it was way worth it :)**

**Review please? :) Luv ya!**

**(And if you're wondering what song was playing when she was ringing the bells, look up Pokemon: Rise of Darkrai soundtrack, and the first song that pops up is the one I was listening to while writing this. It's so pretty.)**


	18. Chapter 18

**thanks to the following people for reviewing! All of ya'll are amazing!**

mrskaz453

ErinGoesRawr

DarylDixon'sLover

Kima Wolfwood

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**Thank you so much! And thank you to the new followers and favorites! Welcome to the mess XD Gotta say, quite excited to write the next chapter. Don't know why, but I am. **

**Now, on with the story!**

**~%~**

All events after Daryl and Sammy's little reunion were...well, uneventful. It wasn't until that next day that everyone started to realize what predicament they were in. The people of Terminus, or at least the people still around that place, would be severely pissed off about what they did, and that meant super protection for now on, guards on at all times. They weren't going to let anything bad happen anymore, not when they just got people away from that terrible place.

Lucy, Sam and Daryl hadn't even left the apartment once since he got there. All of them talked. Just talked. It was abnormal at some times. Hell on earth was literally outside their little safe haven and they were just talking like there wasn't a care in the world.

Mrs. Harris had also watched Hunter for Lucy while she was gone, and when she brought the puppy back and he met Daryl, the two clicked almost instantly. Hunter was all over him, licking his face, arms whatever there was that was visible the puppy was all over.

Sam and Daryl had done most of the talking, while Lucy sort of just watched them interact. To be honest, she had missed him. A whole fucking lot. It felt...amazing just to have him here, talking to Sammy again, but at the same time she knew those people were after them and this place was in danger, after just a few days of being here. She needed to keep this place going. Quinn was here, as well as her friends, and now Daryl was added to the mix as well as the rest of the prison group.

This place needed to stay safe.

Sooner or later, it had gotten super late. Lucy and Daryl were the only ones up, while Hunter had fallen asleep, his head on Daryl's leg, and Sam had fallen asleep in his lap. They both decided to turn in for the night and Daryl took Sam to her room while Lucy dragged him into her room afterwards. Both were happy to be safe for once, and had a repeat of what they did the night prior, ending in tiredness and pleasure. eventually both falling asleep afterwards.

The next day though came all too fast. Daryl had been the first one to wake up. For a moment, he wondered where the hell he was. The last two weeks had been nothing but running and hiding, no sleeping in beds or anything as pleasurable as that, but as soon as he felt the small movement underneath one of his arms, he knew exactly where he was.

The first thing he saw was her hair. Her wavy and curly hair that was splayed out all over the pillow, covering a small portion of her face that was facing to the right, her right side of her face facing up. His right arm was gently placed over her bare back, holding her close to him. Her nose twitched a bit in her sleep, like she was smelling something, but other than that there was nothing else except pure sleep.

He lifts his head, staring down at the woman next to him. Out of all the things that could have happened in the world, this was the last thing he thought would. Sleeping next to a beautiful woman with a little kid in the next room. Took a whole damn apocalypse for that to happen.

He moves the arm that was on her and gently removes a piece of her hair that was covering her face, placing it off to the side. A small smile graces his face at the sight of her. Damn, this is what love felt like.

And that scared the shit out of him.

He never even thought he would come close to loving someone as much as he loved Lucy and Sam. Hell, he thought he was too much of an asshole and a dick to even think someone as...perfect as Lucy would want him, need him, love him the way she did. He knew she deserved better than him. Needed some good guy who he knew would treat her better in front of others, give her all the stuff she deserved. He couldn't do that, at least not as well as other people she could have.

But no, she went to him. Told him that she wanted him and then fucking proved it afterwards. Could have anyone she wanted and she chose him. He knew he was far too deep in this. Every single wall he had ever built to prevent something like this from happening came tumbling down when he stumbled upon her cabin, her knife pointed in his face, ready to throw.

He chuckles a bit at the memory. Never in his mind did he ever think the woman who had threatened to cut his dick off and string it up on a tree would be the woman he would end up with. Even then, he sparked his interest. She had that fire in her eyes, and even now, it was still strong, especially after everything that had happened at the prison.

He tried so hard to think that the feelings were nothing, and they would just pass, but with every day that went by, he got closer to her, closer than he had with anyone else there, even Rick, and that was saying something. Told her things he never told anyone, things he never thought he would tell. And the feelings just gee stronger, feeling the need the keep her there, keep her going, and keep her alive, as well as Sam.

When the prison fell and they got separated, he actually almost lost it. The only thing that stopped him from cashing out was Beth, and that was because she still had hope they were alive. He knew that the two were close, being that there was only a few years in age difference between the both of them, so for once, he actually listened to the Greene girl and kept hope that they were okay. He and Beth actually were a good pair...more of an unlikely duo in his book. They survived, though, and got through a lot of shit, physically and mentally. He still remembered the cabin when they drank and burnt it to the ground.

Beth had actually been the one to convince Daryl that he was in love with Lucy. He denied it in every way possible, fearing for himself and for her, but every single point the girl came across made sense, and one night he realized it while he was sleeping. He couldn't get back to sleep at all. Beth was a good friend, and apparently knew Lucy off the back of her hand.

Then he fucked that up too.

How the hell could they trust him when he let her get taken? When he couldn't find her? Then there was the everlasting question: Why the hell would a girl like Lucy love _him? _He had to be one of the luckiest bastards alive in the world if they still trusted him after everything.

He leans up in the bed and rubs his head a bit, looking for the clothes that were spread throughout the room. After a thorough search he finally spotted his pants as well as his boxers in one of the corners and he climbs out of bed, wincing at the cold air that hit his naked body.

"Fuck," he mutters as he regains his senses. How the hell was this place cold? Did it have fucking air conditioning too? Walking over, he grabs his clothes and places them on his legs, then places on his shirt, sparing Lucy a glance as she slept peacefully. He smirks a bit as he remembered the last night.

He walks out of the room and sees Hunter's head perk up from the couch where he slept. His tail began to wag and his mouth opened, reveling his panting tongue.

"Morning, Hunter," he states quietly. The dog lets out a high pitched bark, and Daryl cringes, hoping it didn't wake the girls. "Hey! Be quiet!" he chastises quietly. The dog's head tilts but it stays quiet. Daryl nods. "Good boy." He starts panting again. Daryl rolls his eyes. "I'm trusting ya not to wake up my girls, Hunter. Ya do and they'll have yer head on a stick."

The dog jumps off the couch and trots over to him, jumping up onto his leg. Daryl smiles slightly, scratching behind the dog's ear.

"I gotta go, boy. Don't wake 'em up." He places the dog down and leaves the small apartment, closing the door behind him. Walking down the hallway as quietly as possible, he leaves it and heads towards the infirmary. When he arrives there, he sees exactly who he was looking for. Emily was up and reading a book called '_If I Stay_.' Her brow was furrowed as she read it.

Daryl took the small amount of time to see the damage. She had an old and ripped t-shirt that was much too big for her, and through the holes he could see her whole top body covered in bandages. Looked like she had more than just that small stab wound. Her hair was still in it's ponytail, though some of it was out due to sleeping. There were some cuts on her face he didn't notice yesterday since all the dirt had now been cleaned off. The rest of her body was covered by a blanket.

"Hey," he states awkwardly. She doesn't even look up, but she does acknowledge his presence by replying.

"This book is fucking depressing." He snorts a bit at the language but walks over to the chair that was sat next to the bed.

"What's it about?" he asks.

"A girl has a happy life, and she goes for a car ride with her parents and her younger brother. A truck hits the car like an atom bomb. Mothers dead on impact, father's brains get smushed, and I don't even know what happened to the brother, but he's dead. She's in a coma, and having an out of body experience type shit, where she has to decide if she wants to live even though her families dead, or if she wants to die and be with them. It's really fucking depressing."

"Then why ya readin' it?" he asks confused.

"Because it's so good!" she whines. "That's the problem! It's great writing but a terrible story. So fucking sad. Jesus." She places the book down and sighs. "Do you believe in that?"

"What?"

"Life after death? That there's another world out there waiting for us when we die?" He was surprised by the question. Didn't think a girl that young should even be thinkin' about that sort of stuff.

"Pretty deep, for someone yer age." She shrugs.

"I have a lot of thoughts."

"I guess at one point," he starts. "Then again, I also believed in God at one point, too. Then the dead started to walk, and that went straight out the fucking window." She smiles a bit.

"I know what you mean," she mumbles. "Okay...when can I get out of here?" His eyebrows raise.

"Ya can't go back out there by yerself." She narrows her eyes.

"Yeah? And who's gonna stop me?"

"Well, first off, yer injury," he states. "Can't get anywhere until that shit heals. Secondly, I'll stop ya." She rolls her eyes.

"And why would you do that? You're not my father. I'm not your fucking responsibility. I can handle myself."

"Emily, ya can't go out there alone like this. I know yer sister is in Terminus and it fucking sucks dick. I was in there for a while too." Her face scrunches up.

"You were?! Were you the one who took her in?!" she exclaims. He places his hands up in an innocent movement before the girl completely lost it.

"No!" he yells back. She settles back down in her bed, her arms now crossed. "No," he repeats calmer. "I wasn't part of no kidnapping. I was stuck in a train car for a while, and it sucked because we couldn't get out until Lucy and her friends came. They got us out easily, like eels dipped in butter."

"So?"

"_So,"_ he states impatiently. "We can help ya get her out quicker then ya probably could." Emily instantly shakes her head.

"Nope. Nada. Never," she says quickly. "Lily does not do well with strangers. She only does well with me."

"Then you'll come with us, but ya can't go anywhere with that side." Her eyes narrow.

"So you expect me to just leave my eight year old sister there while she gets tortured and have me here get fixed up and cleaned? She might be getting stabbed or shot and I'm expected to stay here?!" It seemed with every sentence her voice rose higher and higher, at the last word on a different pitch.

"Emily, ya have to calm down!" he says sternly when she begins to rise out of the bed. "Right now, the dickheads are probably wonderin' how the hell they are gonna get us back. They aint after her." Emily stops her struggling but still glares at him. "Ya can't do anything right now, so just calm the fuck down."

"Fine," she mutters, finally adverting her eyes to the bedsheets. "All that kids fault."

"He said ya surprised him." Her eyes widened.

"I surprised HIM? I was hiding in that church when you people came in! Motherfucker was glancing around the stupid room like he was lookin' for something. I didn't think someone would come in, so I jumped when he came in and I slammed into something behind me, some stupid glass or whatever, and he turned around and stabbed me. If anything HE surprised ME!" Daryl chuckles at the girls explanation.

"Don't gotta explain it," he replies. She crosses her arms.

"If I'm staying here, I want to ask some questions." He raises an eyebrow.

"I'm pretty sure that's supposed to be the other way around, but shoot," Daryl says. She rolls her eyes.

"First off, where the hell am I? And who...took care of my wound and all that?" He could sense a bit of nervousness in her voice. This girl was hiding something, but he knew he wouldn't get it out of her today.

"It's an old watermill," he says, remembering what Lucy had told him yesterday. "Runs on the water from the river. And I'm pretty sure one of the women tended to it." She lets out a sigh of relief.

"Thank God," she mumbles. "Okay, secondly, who the hell was that asshole who was staring at me?"

"Eugene," Daryl mumbles. "Pretty creepy, right?" Emily snorts quietly, staring down at the sheets. "Ya don't have to worry about it, Emily. He aint gonna get near ya. 'Sides, probably too busy 'saving the world,'" he says in air quotes. Her brow furrows and she snaps her head back up to see him.

"Saving the world? What, does he have some cure? Or something like that?" Daryl nods, but even she could see the doubt on his face.

"Yeah, but I think it's a bunch of bullshit. Those two idiots who came with him seem to believe it." She crosses her arms sadly.

"If there was a cure it would have been found long ago," she mumbles. He shrugs.

"I guess. How are ya feelin' anyway?" he asks. She shrugs.

"My side hurts and so does the rest of my body, but other than that, I'm good," she teases slightly. Girl had a sense of humor even in this bullshit situation. He smirks a bit.

"Ya get used to it. I got an arrow stuck in my side once." Her eyes widen.

"Really?!" He nods. "Did it hurt?"

"Like hell. Heals soon though. You'll be fine." She smiles.

"I hope. I just want Lily back."

"You'll get her. Don't worry." She opens her mouth to reply, but someone else's voice comes out.

"Daryl?!" The man turns around and nearly backs up into the bed when he sees Carol standing there with her eyes widened. Her brow furrows at the young girl who layer in the bed. "Who's she?" she asks. Emily pulls the sheet further up her body so the woman wouldn't see the bandages on the inside as Daryl stands.

"No one," he says flatly. Emily would have been offended if it wasn't for the way the woman was looking at Daryl-apparently that was his name-like the way Eugene did to her yesterday. Wasn't that Lucy chick his girlfriend? "And we need to talk." He turns to Emily. "Stay in here. Can't go anywhere." She shrugs.

"I've sort of gotten that point," she chuckles. He nods and directs his head towards they outside. Carol nods and follows him away from the infirmary where Emily wouldn't here. While they left, Emily shook her head, chuckling to herself. "Damn love triangle happening during the apocalypse. What is this, Romeo and Juliet?"

**~%~**

When they had gotten far away enough, Daryl turned to Carol, but as soon as he did her arms were around him in a tight embrace. He lets out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding and awkwardly places his arms around her as well. Her face was buried deep into his chest. Out of all the people here, he thought that the reunion with Carol would be the least awkward. He was deadly wrong.

"I missed you so much," she mumbles. Daryl clears his throat and pulls back a bit so there was enough space in between them, only his hands on her shoulders. Her brow was furrowed but she still had a thankful expression on her face.

"I missed ya too, but Lucy told me somethin' that we gotta talk about." Carol steps back a bit, crossing her arms, but she seems adamant to listen.

"Okay...talk." He knew she knew what he was gonna talk about, but he still started off like she didn't know.

"Lucy told me that ya helped Marcus...poison her. I've never had a reason not to trust her." That was were he ended it, waiting for her to confirm that she did or didn't, but much to his dismay and anger, she nodded her head yes, like it was no big deal.

"Yeah, I helped him." Daryl glares at her.

"Why the fuck would ya do that?!" he exclaims at her. She doesn't flinch at all.

"Daryl, you know why I would. It was obvious to everyone, and I'm sure people have told you before." He still stares at her angrily, waiting for her to go on. She rolls her eyes. "Daryl, I love you. I thought it was simple to see." His eyebrow furrows and his angry expression changes to one of confusion.

"Ya...do?" he asks, stepping back a bit. To be honest, he had noticed the same type of behavior he got form Lucy come from Carol, but whenever she did it was always awkward and defiantly made Daryl want to break the terrible tension they always hung in the air. He thought that it was all because they were close friends but apparently...it was more in Carol's eyes. Hell, Lucy had even told him the day before that she loved him but he didn't believe that. Just thought Carol had a grudge against Lucy. The woman smiles at this stunned expression.

"Yeah, I do," she replies, coming closer and laying a hand on his shoulder gently. "Ever since you looked so hard for Sophia I've been head over heals. To be true, I think you're making a terrible decision in choosing Lucy. You need a woman, Daryl...and she's just a girl." Her hand had trailed downwards, down his arm and near the top of his leg, but as soon as she got even close to there, he snaps back.

"Carol, I loved ya but not like that. Like a friend," he spurts out. Carol pulls her hand back and glares at him.

"'Loved?'" she quotes. Daryl's eyes narrow.

"Yeah, loved!" he finally yells at her, all his rage from Lucy being poisoned boiling over. "Carol, ya tried to _kill _the only woman I ever fuckin' wanted to _try_ with! She's the only fuckin' reason I'm still alive right now! If it wasn't for this group we all would have been dead meat by now! Literally! Fuck, ya almost killed a fuckin' child, who wasn't even close to bein' sick, all because ya wanted _me? What the fuck is wrong with ya?!" _he shouts. Carol still doesn't flinch, but he could see the pained look behind her eyes.

"Daryl-"

"No! Ya don't get to fuckin' speak!" he hisses. "Ya know what would have happened if Lucy died? I would have too. I would have been gone, maybe even have killed myself. Ya wouldn't have gotten me either way, ya creepy_ fuck_!" Carol reaches out again.

"Daryl, please hear me out. I love you-" To that he chuckles lowly, and her brow furrows. "You find that funny?"

"Ya don't love me," he says bluntly. She quints her eyes.

"What makes you think-"

"Carol, have ya ever actually wanted to get to know me? Know who I am? Actually ask about my past?" he interrupts. She stays silent. "Granted, I've never talked about it that much, and it's not a good thing to talk about, but sooner or later, I would have. Ever asked about my favorite movie? Color? Anything like that?" Her eyes narrow.

"You never seemed like the guy to want that!" she exclaims.

"See? If ya did 'love' me ya would have ignored tha' and asked those questions. When people are in love, they always go out of their way to actually _know _the person. To understand them. Ya never did any of that. Face it, Carol. If Sophia hadn't gotten lost, and Ed hadn't been killed, ya wouldn't have come within ten feet of me. The only reason ya feel any of this is because I looked hard for that little girl...and now that I think about it, yer the one that should've been lookin' for her, not me." Carol's eyes narrow.

"You have no idea what the hell you're saying, Daryl! I _do _love you!"

"No, I'm perfectly on point with what I'm sayin'."

"Yeah?" Carol asks now, her voice coming out in a spat. "How?"

"'Cause I love Lucy." He sees her softly gasp, but at this point he couldn't give two rats asses about that. "I love her and Sam more than my own life. Lucy makes me happy, makes me want to keep goin'. With ya? Not so fuckin' much, at least not anymore." She rolls her eyes.

"Daryl, you don't mean that at-"

"Oh I fuckin' do," he interrupts. She stares at him shocked. "Carol, I don't want ya fuckin' near them. Those girls are my family, the only thing I have left on this stupid fucking planet that makes me want to _survive__. _I don't want ya near Lucy, or Sam, or me. I'm fuckin' done with this two side shit thing that you have. I was almost on yer side for the stupid Karen and David thing, but this just crossed the line."

"Daryl-"

"No Carol. I'm fuckin' done with ya. Don't come near us. Yer fuckin' crazy and I'm done with it." She places a hand on his arm but he shrugs it away harshly. Her eyes widen as he glares furiously at her. "And by the way, Lucy aint no fuckin' girl. I would know. She's a fuckin' mother, and still has her kid, looks after her too, not like how ya didn't." Her eyes narrow at that comment, but even he could see the guilt and anger behind the gaze.

He begins to walk down the hallway to head to wherever breakfast would be, but her voice stops him.

"You think just by 'shutting me out' it's gonna help the situation?" she exclaims. He turns around, ready to go off again, but she keeps going. "It's not gonna change a God damn thing. No matter what you say, Daryl, I do love you, and I still want you. Sure, I lied to Lucy about giving up on you, saying you two were 'meant to be,' but do you really think I mean it?"

"Carol-"

"I don't," she continues. "I never meant anything that I said to that woman. And you believe me when I say this: I don't care who I hurt or who gets in my way. Sooner or later, you will be mine, whether those two are dead or not. Don't know when it'll happen, or how, but it'll happen." Before he could reply, she was walking furiously in the other direction.

The way she said it actually sent chills down his spine. For some reason, he knew deep down that she wasn't joking at all. He knew eventually she would try to hurt Lucy and Sam or whoever.

What the fuck happened to her?!

He stood there shocked, thinking over and over what she said before a small voice broke his thoughts.

"Mr. Daryl!" it shouts. He turns sharply and sees Sammy running at him while a slightly tired Lucy trailed quickly behind. Forgetting his worries for a moment, he catches the girl before she crashed into anything. She giggles as he lifts her up from the floor. He offers her a small smile before turning to Lucy, who was rubbing her eyes.

"Tired?" he asks quietly. She shrugs.

"For once, it wasn't the dog that woke me up. It was this girl," she chuckles, pointing to Sam, who stuck out her tongue "Wanted to see you." Daryl raises an eyebrow at the girl.

"Why?" he chuckles. She crosses her arms.

"I'm not letting you out of my sight!" _More like the other way around _he thinks nervously.

"We made a promise, remember? Not gonna break it." Sam smiles and Daryl lets her down. Lucy smiles softly at her daughter.

"See? I told you he'd be here. He's not breaking his promise. Now, go to the cafeteria. You need some food. We'll follow, okay?" Sam nods and runs off down the hall, while Lucy comes closer to Daryl and pecks him on the lips. When she pulls back her smile widens.

"Morning," she says quietly. "How's the girl? Emily, right?" He nods.

"She's good. Doin' better," he replies, glancing back down the hall cautiously at Sam's retreating back. Lucy's brow furrows.

"You okay?" she asks softly. He turns back to her and thinks for a second. If he told her what was going on she would freak out. This wasn't the time at all. He just needed to keep her safe, her and Sam. That was all that mattered right now.

Instead of replying, he leans in and gives her a gentle kiss on the lips, to which she smiles into. When he pulls back, she still had the smile, her eyes closed.

"I'm guessing that's a yes?" she chuckles. He shrugs and takes her hand in his, intertwining their fingers. She keeps smiling up at him. "You sure you're okay with this?" _Oh, I'm more than okay with this. _

"Fine with it," he states softly, pulling her towards the food area. She smiles at this. "Come on. Let's get somethin' to eat." She nods and happily follows him into the cafeteria. When they arrive, they see Sammy eating some sort of muffin, and when she sees them she waves them over, her mouth opening in a smile, revealing all the mushed up food. Lucy chuckles and gestures for Sam to close her mouth with her hand, and Sam blushes, doing as told.

"Oh, Sammy," she mutters, walking over to her. Daryl couldn't seem to get the smile off his face at the two, no matter how cheesy and cliche that sounded, but it all slipped away when he saw Carol staring at them. Instead of the usual frown he had gotten used to, she had a smile, almost...sinister.

His grip tightens on Lucy's hand ever so slightly as they sit and he turns away. There was no way in hell he was letting this psycho of a woman get to his family. No fucking way.

**~%~**

**Ah, I love writing crazy carol XD Bit shorter than the last few chapters, but I think I needed to for my sanity. XD**

**Review please? :) Luv ya! **


	19. Chapter 19

**I'm so proud with how well this story has been doing! Thank you to the following people for ****reviewing!**

mrskaz453

Kima Wolfwood

DarylDixon'sLover

ErinGoesRawr

jeanf

**Ya'll are amazing for reviewing this! And thanks to the new favorites and followers on this story! You guys are awesome as well! I'm excited to write the rest of this story as I have a lot of ideas, but there's going to be a bit of a time jump in this chapter. Just warning ya'll**.

**Now...on with the story!**

**~%~**

**_Two Months Later_**

The mill was stronger than ever since their little invasion at Terminus. The people there grew stronger everyday, brains and strength. Lucy was one of them.

Every day after the one they got back, Lucy changed. Granted, she was still the same Lucy as before. Same mother, same bad source of comedy, same smile, same eyes, same girlfriend, same best friend to Quinn and everyone else. But her strength grew. In fact, she _knew _every part of her body had gotten stronger. She had more strength in her arms as well as her legs, and thanks to the many people she knew on the mill, she now knew how to use a variety of weapons besides her knives and her gun.

Quinn had taught her how to use a sniper. Joey had taught her how to use a compact bow and arrow instead of the normal bow and arrow that she had grown up learning how to use. Tara had taught her self defense and ways to knock someone out if she was ever in trouble. Daryl had even shown her a thing or two on his crossbow, to the comment that he would never let anyone else touch it and this was a rarity.

She teased that she would end up breaking it by the end of the lesson, and he replied if she did he'd have her head.

But it wasn't just her strength that improved. Her mind did as well. She thought that everyone from the prison had gotten smarter, faster than they could have been before, thanks to the people here. She never thought that anything better could happen to the group, but apparently, she was wrong.

The other day, she nearly laughed when Tara called her the next Stephen Hawking times ten. Lucy found herself able to do other things, repair stuff she never thought she could, solve problems she never thought she could even think about solving. Her mind expanded into dangerous territory, which meant her brain figured things out quicker than most. She, Quinn, Joey and Tara were the people who organized runs and who told people what to do. They were the people you went to if you wanted something to happen there.

Speaking of 'something happening,' nothing had. Every day they would expect Terminus to strike back on the multiple deaths they had caused, but they never did, at least not yet. That didn't mean they weren't prepared though. They were always prepared, always had guards around the mill waiting to report and shoot the walkers that lurked outside the gates.

Lucy hadn't been the only one who's changed, though. Everyone had, whether it was good, or bad. The one person she thought changed sort of for the bad was Carol. Ever since the prison group came back, no one had really talked to her that much, knowing what she did. Some of them exchanged words every once and a while, but other than that, she was practically an outsider to the rest of them. At some points, she felt bad for the woman, but then she realized that she had nearly killed her and her daughter all so she could get Daryl.

That was just senile.

Daryl didn't even talk to her. She was guessing Carol told him the truth about what she did and Daryl put his foot down after that. Even so, she knew the woman was hurting on the inside. The two had been close, and it was sort of her fault that they were like this now.

But either or, she never showed any pain.

And that was what scared Lucy.

Hell, she always had a fucking smile on her face, sometimes even directed at her. It made her feel uneasy whenever she did, and sometimes she even smiled at Sam, who didn't like Carol at all. She usually hid behind Lucy's leg when she was around. Lucy didn't blame the girl, though.

But no matter what, whenever Carol was around her, Daryl was as well, and he stuck to her like a bee to honey. She knew Daryl wasn't telling her something about her. Him and Carol must have had some sort of conversation that ended up with him always around her. She didn't mind at all, especially if Carol was probably planning her death. The day she told her she 'knew they were perfect for each other' and 'would stop trying,' Lucy hadn't believed a bit of it.

In fact, she would sometimes put on a bit of a show when she was angry at Carol for always being around. Whenever she was looking Lucy would brush up against him, give him gentle touches, sometimes even a slow kiss on the lips. He was always surprised whenever she would, because he would be working and concentrated on something and she would just intervene, but he never objected.

Either way it was her that ended up in bed with him every night, not Carol.

Right now, though, she was focused in the garage of the mill, helping Joey repair an old jeep they had hauled in the other day. That was something else she had gotten quite great at: repairing cars. When she was younger, all she wanted was a red jeep, one that she could take the doors off of and let her feet hang out. She didn't think the first time she would get one would be during the apocalypse.

"Joey?" she asks quickly. He lets out a quick grunt in response, telling her he heard her. "Wrench." A moment later she feels it enter her hand. Joey was working on the engine on the inside while Lucy worked on the outside.

"Lucy, have you gotten anywhere with this?" he asks while trying to turn on the car. As she tightened the bolt, she sees this action and cringes.

"Joey, I wouldn't-"

Too late. The horn blares loudly as he turns it on and he screams, jumping into the air. He hits his head against the roof of the car and curses, then falls out of the seat and onto the ground, holding his head in his hands and having his eyes squinted shut. She snickers a bit, running over and turning off the car even though it had stopped blaring. He was groaning into his hands now. She leans down and rubs his head a bit.

"Joey? Hey, you there? Come on, dude. Don't pass out on me. You're too heavy for me to carry." His nose wrinkles a bit and he groans again, not even attempting to lean up. His arm leans over his head, trying to block out the sun that would be leaking into his eyes. Lucy smiles. "You ok?"

"The car works," he chokes out. Lucy laughs.

"Yes, it does. Stay here, I'll get some ice." She stands up quickly and runs over to the small refrigerator that held ice packets inside. Taking one quickly, she rushes back over to Joey and lays it where he had hit his head. "Kay, let's come up slow." Joey nods gently and Lucy helps him up, her hand on his back to support him. When his full back was up he places his hands down on the ground.

"I'm good," he mutters. She smiles and pulls back. "I fucking hate you." Her eyebrow rise.

"What did I do?" she exclaims. She rolls her eyes. "Oh, fuck you too." He chuckles, holding the ice pack to his head.

"Jesus, that hurt," he mumbles, rubbing the other side of his head slightly. She shrugs.

"I did try to want you." Joey rolls his eyes.

"Yeah, whatever Lucy Goosey." She glares playfully but sits down next to him. She didn't still want to work if he wasn't going to. "How did you even end up here anyway? I thought you were helping Maggie and Rosita today with the walkers outside." Lucy rolls her eyes.

"Well, I'm here now, aren't I?" she chuckles. Maggie was obviously her close friend from back at the prison, and after they got here, the two caught up instantly. Rosita on the other hand had been one of the new people that came with them, who were part of Abrahams the earlier vibe she gave her, the woman was actually really sweet but badass, sort of like a combination of Quinn and Tara combined into one. She had actually become a good friend to Lucy, and actually offered plenty of advice on some of her weapons.

She found out that she had been with Abraham for a while, but for some reason she felt like those two weren't meant to be, like they didn't get those sparks or whatever couples were supposed to get, like her and Daryl, but she simply moved past that. There was no way she was questioning the girls views. She always had a gun on her.

"I'm just saying," Joey chuckles.

"Quinn and Tara decided to aid them today. Said 'I had been working too hard' or whatever that means. Can never work too hard in this world." Joey takes the ice pack off his head and she cringes. "Bit of a bump there." He shrugs, placing the pack back on his head.

"I was expecting that because I was passed out for a second," he grumbles. "But really...I sort of agree with them." An eyebrow quirks, but she lets him continue. "That girl...Emily, right? You and him have been helping her, training her. Lot of hard work with that girl." Lucy snorts.

"She's...strong. Seen some shit." That was definitely the truth.

After that first day of being practically hospitalized, Emily was ready to get out of the place, but she soon discovered that was not the case that she would be following. Turns out it was more than just her side that needed working on. Her legs were covered in bruises, which made it hard for her to walk, and she had a sprained ankle on her right side. When she found this out, she was pissed, and said the same stuff over and over, that she would be fine, but either way, she got stuck.

For a straight two weeks, she needed _help _getting back on her feet. To which, she was completely and utterly aggravated. She was the sort of person that wanted to keep going, not have someone constantly help her. But as soon as she took that first step and nearly tumbled to the ground, she knew that wouldn't be her situation right now.

Lucy had been the one to help her with all of that, and because of this, the younger girl showed her she had plenty of skills, but wanted to learn more. She intrigued Lucy. She could be happy one minute and a pain the next. But her spirit was something else. No matter what, she wanted to keep trying, to keep walking. She was dead determined to make those Termites lives a living hell.

Through there little talks while she would help, Emily would tell her about her sister, what they've been through. Emily was 14, and her sister was 9. While Emily had dark brown hair and blue eyes, Lily-which was her name-had blonde hair and green eyes. And apparently, she was from Manhattan as well. Lucy's eyebrows had rose when she told her that.

"Really?" she asked when she was helping her walk across the floor. Emily nodded, focusing on her feet.

"Yeah. We grew up in a small house on the edge of the Bronx."

After that, they had a lot to talk about. Emily told her how they got separated from their group a few months ago, and had traveled down here with her sister. She also said her parents were dead, but when Lucy tried to pursue the matter, Emily dropped it. Looked like it was a sensitive topic for her.

After those two weeks, the girl seemed prepared to jump out of the mill, thanks to some creepy people who would come in and talk to her. Eugene. Lucy hated that guy. He was creepy in every single way someone could be a creep in. She was thankful when he would come in someone was always there with Emily.

But then she met Sam.

That little girl always seemed to worm her way into anyone's heart, and she did with Emily, and because of this, she decided to stay and become stronger, so when the day would come that they attacked Terminus, she would be ready.

After that, she learned a lot more weapons, as Lucy had, and seemed to be pretty good at them. The one thing she stuck to was a bow and arrow though. Lucy had given her a few tips and tricks on it, considering she and grown up on that weapon, but surprisingly Daryl had been the one to actually teach her. Out of all the people available that was the one person she was not expecting that would teach her. For one thing, he used a fucking crossbow, not a bow and arrow.

But she shouldn't question his method. The girl was learning to fire arrows like a pro.

"She seems like that," Joey mentions. "Real tough. I heard now that she's healed up Daryl's been taking her on hunting trips." Lucy nods. They were actually out on one right now.

"She wanted to learn how to track, and he offered. I heard today they were takin' Hunter out to learn. The girl likes that dog too." Hunter was probably around three months now, and Daryl said that having a dog to help hunt was always a good idea. Joey snorts.

"So Hunter's becoming a 'hunter?'" he mocks. Lucy rolls her eyes and pushes his shoulder.

"Shut up," she spat at him playfully. "It's not the dog's fault his name is Hunter. It's Sammy's," she mutters. Joey laughs.

"Well, shouldn't you be jealous?" he says, wiggling his eyebrows. Her brow furrows in confusion until she realizes what he was trying to say, and her face screws up in disgust.

"She's fourteen, you sick fuck." Joey laughs.

"I was kidding!" he laughs. Lucy snorts.

"I think you hit your head too hard. Why don't you go suck Tyler's dick? I'm sure it'll make you feel better." Joey's face reddens as a shocked expression comes over it, but even Lucy knew those two were hooking up. "Don't try to deny it." Joey rolls his eyes.

"Whatever," he mumbles. "Where's Sam anyway?"

"Infirmary. Has a little bit of a cold." Joey's brow furrows.

"Really?" Lucy shrugs.

"It's nothing serious. No fever, or achyness. Just some coughing and sneezes. Little bit of a headache. I couldn't deal with her because I had to work, but Mrs. Harris is one of the best nurses I ever knew and still have the pleasure of knowing. She'll be fine by the end of the day." Joey smiles.

"That's good. Don't need her getting hurt." Lucy snorts quietly, thinking back to the three scars on her face. They had faded, slowly, but there was still a slight rise in skin where they used to be. That girl had been hurt enough. This was nothing compared to what she's been through.

"You have no idea."

**~%~**

They were deep in the forest when Emily cocked her arrow within her bow, aiming at a deer that was happily drinking from a small pond. Daryl stood quietly behind her, guiding her throughout the process.

"Aim it down a bit more," he whispers, and she does what he says, lowering not more than an inch. Her nods. That was exactly where it had to go to kill the animal. "Pull the string back harder so ya have enough momentum." She pulls it back. "Deep breath." She takes a long one, closes her eyes for a second, and then opens, letting the arrow fly.

Clean shot through the brain.

The deer falls over as she smiles. "I did it!" He smirks at her proud expression.

"Yeah, ya did. Now, gettin' it back's gonna be the problem." Her brow furrows as she turns to him.

"Well...why don't we skin it and bring it back in pieces rather than the whole?"

"Ya don't even know how." She shrugs.

"You could teach me." Daryl quirks an eyebrow. This girl never stopped. He shrugs and sits down in front of the deer.

"Ya don't slow down, do ya?" he teases a bit. She smiles.

"Nope. Question it, can you keep up with me?" He snorts, gesturing his head to the ground, telling her to sit. She chuckles, flopping down next to him. She looks around. "Hey, where's Hunter?" Daryl looks up from his knife.

"Out lookin' for some meat." He places his middle finger and thumb in his mouth, and in one swift movement a whistle comes out. They wait a few seconds before they hear the running of paws on the ground and the barking. Not even a few seconds later, Hunter jumps out from the bushes, a rabbit in his mouth. Daryl smiles a bit. "Nice job, buddy."

Hunter drops the rabbit at his feet and trots over to Emily, to which he begins to happily lick her face. She giggles slightly, pushing him back to the ground. Daryl chuckles a bit, starting at the deer's end. She glares playfully at him. "And what are you laughing about, Dixon?" Hunter jumps up and licks her face again, and she makes another disgusted face. He snickers. "Oh, shut up."

"Startin' to think that dog likes ya more than me," he chuckles. "Hunter! Heal!" The dog follows his orders instantly and sits, down on the ground, his tail wagging. "Stay." He doesn't move, but keeps his ears perked, listening to any sounds around him. Daryl turns to Emily. "Ya wanna learn or are ya too girly to deal with the blood?" She smirks.

"Give me a knife." He chuckles at her persistence and hands her one. Slowly, she starts to pick up on the skinning, though not as fast as Daryl. After a while her hands were covered in dark red and sticky blood, but she didn't seem to mind at all, which sort of impressed and creeped Daryl out. After removing one layer of the skin, her mouth opens after the steady silence stops. "How long have you and Lucy been together?"

He furrows his brow at the question, a bit taken back, but answers the question anyway. "Few months now. Why?" Emily shrugs.

"Just wonderin'. That Carol chick seems to like you." Daryl snorts.

"Trust me, I know." Emily removes a piece of meat.

"Gross," she mumbles. "Well, it's obvious you and Lucy love each other, as well as that little girl, Sammy." Daryl narrows his eyes at the teen.

"What are ya tryin' to get at, girl?" he says impatiently. Emily rolls her eyes.

"Are you gonna ask the girl to marry you or not?" Daryl's eyes widen at the question. That was not what he was expecting to come out of her mouth. He stares down at the deer for a second, thinking the question over, but before even one coherent thought could come out Hunter was barking madly and running off int he other direction. Emily's eyes widen. "HUNTER!" she yells standing up and beginning to chase him.

"Emily!" he yells as she runs. If this girl got out of sight that would be on him. "Aw, fuck me," he mumbles as he chases after the dog and the girl. The deer could be forgotten for now. At least he had a rabbit. "Girl, slow down!" he yells after the running girl. The girl maybe be fourteen, but fuck was she fast.

After a moment Emily almost fell out of sight. The only thing that kept him in the know was Hunter's barking, and he followed that sound because he knew Emily would also be following it. After a while of running, he sees the tail of the dog and Emily head inside an abandoned shack. The dog was still barking. "Fucking dog. Gonna attract everything," he mutters as he walks over and inside the small building.

He looks for Emily first and finds her in the living room, still following the dog upstairs. Before she could even think about going upstairs, her grabs her wrist in a firm grip, bringing her back down the steps. She glares at him. "What?!"

"Ya can't just go runnin' off like that, Emily! If I lost ya it would've been on me!" She rolls her eyes.

"I was with Hunter! He went running off and-" Another bark echoes around the house from Hunter, followed by a little girls whimper. Emily's eyes widen. "No shit." She breaks out of his grip and runs up the stairs as fast as possible. Daryl's eyes widen but before he could yell after her she was around the corner in seconds.

"Dammit, Emily," he mutters again, following up the stairs. He turns to the left and sees her standing shocked in the dorm frame of an old bedroom, her face a mix of sadness, confusion, and anger. He walks over. "Emily, what's go-holy shit," he mumbles when he sees what she's looking at.

A little girl, probably around eight or nine, was huddled in the corner, staring fearfully at the two visitors, her arms and knees brought out in front of her, holding them close to her chest. But what really freaked them out was the fact that she had blood all over her. Whether it was her own or someone else's, it made her look like a miniature Carrie after prom, some of it in her blonde bob of hair, that seemed to be cut short into a very bad hairstyle. Her green eyes were widened in fear.

"Who's-"

"Lily," Emily interrupts, knowing what he was gonna ask. His brow furrows at her. This girl was her sister? "She escaped." They looked nothing alike. Lily was the complete opposite of Emily, without all the blood. "Lily?" she asks a bit more softer. "Lily, it's me. Emily." That seemed to wake up the frightful girl.

"Emily?" she whispers, her eyes casting downwards. "Emily." The older girl nods softly, walking over to the little girl. Hunter stood near the window, staring outside.

"God, this is my fault," Emily mutters as she walks over and gingerly places her hands on the girls shoulders. Lily jumps at the sudden contact and backs up further into the wall if possible, her green eyes wide again, but once she sees Emily she calms down slightly. Emily frowns. Something happened to Lily to make her feel like this.

Something terrible.

"Lily? Sweetie? What happened? Are...is Terminus after you?" At the word Terminus. Lily's eyes widen again and she shrinks into her ball, her body suddenly breaking out into sobs. She throws herself at Emily and the older girl takes her into her arms, her hands instantly going to her head to stroke her small bob of hair. Emily spares a glance at Daryl, who was staring at the scene quietly, his arms crossed.

Granted, he wasn't speaking. He knew that Emily right now was the only one who could talk to her without her freaking out, but internally, his body was nothing short of rage. Terminus did this to a little girl, a nine year old, little fucking girl. From what he could see, she had been tortured and hurt, as well as have her hair cut into a small bob that barely reached her shoulders. Emily had mentioned the one thing Lily treasured the most had been her hair, long and wavy.

Not so much anymore.

Hunter barks again and Daryl walks to the window, looking outside. Looks like all the screaming had attracted company, as probably about a herd of twenty walkers or more were now clambering their way towards the house, their rotting faces chomping on the thought of new flesh to bite.

"Fuck," Daryl mutters. "Emily, we gotta get out of here. Convince the girl to come back." Emily stares at her younger sister for a second, her face contorted in anger, but she shakes her head. She would deal with it later.

"Lily? You have to come back with us, okay? I'm with good people, sweetie. They're not gonna hurt you. We're gonna fix you up and you'll be safe. You can talk later, okay?" she speaks in a soothing voice. Lily doesn't move, just keeps her head buried into Emily's side, but after a second nods. Emily swiftly takes the skinny young girl into her arms and turns to Daryl. "Let's get the fuck out of here." Daryl nods.

"Hunter! Go!" The dog takes off and the two follow him, a still Lily in Emily's arms. As they got outside, the walkers were just about to round the house when they took off before they could see. Emily held onto Lily tightly.

**~%~**

Emily didn't know how long she had sat there in the hallway, her head in her hands and her knees pulled up to her chest. Tears were streaming down her face as she cried silently. This was all her fault. She could have prevented this if she had just kept her by her side. If she had just followed her into Terminus. She was so fucking close to breaking in.

And then that asshole stabbed her. If it wasn't for that stupid kid this wouldn't have happened to Lily. She would have gotten her out sooner, and she wouldn't have been as hurt as she was, as broken.

She hears footsteps approach her, but she doesn't even look up, just keeps her head buried deep inside her legs, her arms tightening around them. The person sits down next to her, and Emily could tell it was a woman because of the skin. "Emily?" the voice says softly, testing the waters. Emily looks up briefly and sees Lucy sitting there, looking at her with a worried expression. "Daryl told you were out here. Said you looked torn up."

"Why do you think, Lucy?" she whisper-yells. "If I had just been quieter, stealthier, I...I could have sneaked out of there but no, I had to be...be surprised and then fucking stabbed! If I had just been quieter," she repeats, crying softly into her hands. Lucy bites her lip, her heart breaking at the sight of the older girl in such pain.

"It's not your fault," Lucy murmurs to her, placing an arm around her gingerly, pulling her close. Emily doesn't mind. In fact, she lays her head on Lucy's shoulder. "If anything it's our fault. We should have gotten you there sooner. But think about it. Even if she did go through hell, she escaped, and she's with us now, and alive. That's all that matters. Your family's okay." Emily glares at the floor.

"It's fucking Carl's fault. He stabbed me!" Lucy rolls her eyes.

"Yes, he is part of the reason, but holding grudges doesn't help anyone. Trust me. I would know. Hell, I've held grudges for such a long time against people I hated. Let me tell you a story. In school, I was bullied a lot." Emily's brow furrows.

"You were?" she asks quietly. Seeing Lucy being bullied didn't seem like a possibility. She was too nice.

"Yeah, I was. It was never a pretty sight, but there was always this one guy. Name was Kyle, and I think his life mission was to make mine a living hell. Every single day, man. I'm surprised I didn't kill the bastard when I had the chance. He would throw pencils at me, slam me into lockers, bang textbooks across my head, anything physical he would do. I tried to tell someone but no one ever really listened. After school, I held a huge grudge against people like him. Anyone who would come off like that I would tune out. But after a while, I realized that was stupid. Wanna know why?"

"You met someone like him?" Lucy smiles, nodding her head. "Who?"

"Daryl." Emily's eyes widen in disbelief but Lucy nods. "He gave me that vibe, like he was an asshole. I mean, he was pointing a crossbow at me like I was a threat, and made fun of my tactics on hiding Sam and I, but I realized sometimes people just come off like that. Daryl's been through a lot, that much is obvious. I made it my mission to know him, but see, if I held my grudge, I probably wouldn't be with him right now. I'd probably still be avoiding his ass. Grudges are nothing but trouble. And trust me when I say this: Lily will be fine." Emily sighs, looking back out to in front of her.

"I'm just so..."

"Mad?" Lucy finishes. Emily nods. "I deal with that everyday. You know Carol?" Emily nods.

"That white bitch who always tries to steal Daryl, yeah I know her." Lucy laughs at the description and Emily smiles softly.

"Yup. You wanna know what she tried to do? Poison me so I could be out of the picture."

"She tried to kill you?" Emily asks shocked.

"Honey, in this world, you fight for what you want, and she wanted one hell of a fight. She still does. But she's dealing with a hundred and thirty pound, pissed off puerto rican girl from Harlem, so she's definitely not going to win this. But everyday I deal with her shit. It's just something you have to learn to let go and deal with it. I hate the woman's guts more than my own life, but I've been dealing with it...in my own way, but dealing. You need to, too."

Emily sighs, letting her legs fall back to the ground and taking a deep breath.

"This sucks." Lucy snorts slightly.

"Yeah, it does. But they're getting her fixed up. By tomorrow you'll be able to see her. For now, you need some sleep." Emily's brow furrows.

"I can't stay anywhere. I've been in the infirmary for the past two months."

"I have some extra room in my apartment. You can stay with us." Emily nods and Lucy helps her up. Maybe it was better to let it all go. These people had been good to her. Lily would be safe, and Emily would help her get back to where she was before, to heal her.

But she was going to fuck Terminus' asses for what they did.

**~%~**

It was around twelve at night when Lily first woke up in a panic. Her eyes danced around the room, looking around for Emily. When she wasn't in sight anywhere, she almost began to jump off the bed and run outside, away from the other hell hole. If she didn't have her sister, she didn't want to be here. She wanted to be with her. She didn't want any more pain. No more torturing. No more.

"Hello?"

Lily jumps and turns to the left, where another little girl was lying in the bed next to her. She had dark brown hair and blue eyes, and a small smile was on her face. Lily guessed that she was maybe four, or five. She looked small enough to be that age.

"...hi?" she replies tentatively. The girl smiles.

"I'm Samantha, but people call me Sam, or Sammy." Lily tilts her head to the side.

"I'm...Lily?" Sam's brow furrows.

"You don't sound sure." Lily shakes her head.

"I'm not...really sure," she mumbles, thinking hard. Was her name Lily? After everything she didn't really remember much. Sam shrugs.

"I like Lily. That's a nice name. I'm four." Lily decides to play along with the little girl.

"I'm nine. Where am I?" Sam smiles.

"A great place! These people are so nice! I saw you before, when you were covered in all that gunky stuff. You still have some on you, but that's because they couldn't get it out. They patched up the cuts and cleaned your hair. They helped you get all better! They helped me! I had a cold today, but thanks to them, I feel good." Lily's head tilts further.

"Where's...my sister? Emily?"

"She had to sleep. She was really worried about you. But don't worry. She's with my mommy and Mr. Daryl." She suddenly yawns and leans into the bed. "Goodnight, Lily." And like that, she was out like a light. Lily stared at the little girl in amusement, and for once didn't feel any fear, or any pain. In fact, right now, for the first time in forever, she felt glad.

"Goodnight, Sam," she whispers before she settles into her own bed. She needed to sleep anyway. Her mind was still on edge from before. Sam was the only reason why she felt this way. Looks like she needed little kids around her more than she knew.

**~%~**

**I gotta say, I had some pretty gruesome ideas for how Emily would find Lily, but I ended up with the lesser one. Terminus sucks. **

**Review please? :) Luv ya!**


	20. Chapter 20

**So twenty chapters later and we're still here! Thank you to the following people for reviewing the chapter and my story!**

mrskaz453

Kima Wolfwood

DarylDixon'sLover

**Thank you to the new followers and favorites on the story as well! And a special thanks to everyone who has stuck with me to the story! All of you are amazing and inspire me to keep going! I literally love all of you! I don't know how long this will go on, but I'll keep it going for as long as possible because all of ya'll are awesome!**

**Now, onto a little warning. I'm putting out a trigger warning in this chapter because some of what os written may cause some people to snap or something like that, so I'll let you guys know when in the story it'll happen with a *** and tell you when it's over with the same thing. Might be a little bit of a gift in here for you people as well ;) **

**Also, there is MAJOR Carol bashing in this chapter, so if you like her I suggest you skip XD**

**Onto the story!**

**~%~**

Lily woke up to someones hands on her stomach and quiet talking to her right, and her heart begins to speed up, her eyes flying open. She jumps up from the bed and looks around the room, her eyes wide with fear. Every single bad memory she could think of had came tumbling back to her like a weed in the wind. Everyone was staring at her, and she didn't know anyone in the room. The hands were trying to keep her down. Where was Emily? Where was-

"Lily!" a sudden voice says, breaking her trance. It wasn't until she felt her mount close did she realize she had been screaming. Two hands suddenly placed themselves on her shoulders and she snapped her head up, staring into the blue eyes of Emily. The sister's eyes were filled with worry, and her brow was furrowed. Her brown hair was still in it's ponytail from when she was taken, but some pieces were falling out, and a few strands were caked in blood.

"E...Emily?" she says softly, almost questioning if that was her name or not. Emily nods, placing her hands back down. "Where am I? How'd I get here? I don't want to go back to Terminus, Emily! Please don't send me back there!" she cries silently. Emily takes Lily into her arms for a second.

"Hey, it's fine, sweetie. You're safe now. You're not going back there. Can you tell me what happened there?" Lily shakes her head, looking down at the hands that were still on her bandaged stomach.

"No...I...I don't...remember," she whispers. Emily bites her lip.

"Okay...but you need to stay calm, Lily. You're fine here. No one's going to hurt you." Lily nods softly, looking at the woman who had her hands on her body. Emily smiles. "Don't worry. She's safe." Lily looks up at her sister.

"Then who...?"

"Don't worry, honey. I'm not gonna hurt you," the woman says. Lily tilts her head. The woman had light blonde hair that covered her eyes for a split second until she moved it aside. She had on a pair of black jeans and a white tank top that was under a denim jacket. "I'm Tara."

"Lily," she whispers softly, looking around for the small girl she had met the other day. "Where's...where's Sam?" Tara's brow furrows.

"You met Sam?" Lily nods.

"I...think. She talked to me when I woke up last night." Tara smiles.

"Sounds like Sam. She left this morning because she was feeling better. But the question is, are you feeling better?" Lily looks up at Emily, looking as if she was asking for an answer to say, but Emily shakes her head.

"This is your answer, Lily." Lily sighs, looking down at the bandages.

"I...guess," she mumbles. "I don't feel anymore pain, I'm just..."

"Tired?" both Tara and Emily finish for her. Lily's eyebrows raise but she nods. Both girls laugh.

"Yeah, that happens to people a lot," Tara chuckles. "You'll get used to it." Emily smiles.

"She would know that, but Tara here is helping you. We just have to change those bandages and then we can go and see everyone." Lily's brow furrows.

"But...I saw a bunch of people and...they were all staring at me." Emily and Tara exchange a worried glance. Tara finally begins to work on the bandages as Emily explains why.

"We found you really...shaken up, sweetie. Do you remember what you said at all?" Lily shakes her head, and Emily blows a bit of air through her lips, a heavy sigh escaping them afterwards. "That was what we thought. When we cleaned up all the blood, we found a slight bump on your head, and we figured out that it affects the memory part of your brain. Turns out everything's a blur until a key moment or human being comes."

"Personally, I think that's what's for the best," Tara intervenes, finishing up the small bandage that she wrapped around Lily's middle. With a quick glance, Lily saw the damage that someone had inflicted on her, and it looked liked whip marks. She knew it must have hurt but she couldn't remember any of it. Only a few ban memories from the past before all of this and Emily. That was it.

"Why do you think that?" Emily asks. Tara shrugs, trying up the bandage.

"Well, even if _she_ can't remember, _you_ have to remember the condition you brought her back in. Covered in blood. I highly doubt that she would want to remember shit like that."

"TARA!"

"WHAT?"

"LANGUAGE!" Lily rolls her eyes.

"I've heard it all," she says softly. Emily stares down at Lily and sighs.

"Still doesn't make it good." Tara chuckles.

"Always the protective older sister, are you?" she snickers, standing up. "Well, as far as I can see, you're good to go to see everyone. Wanna meet them? There's kid's here too! Last I checked everyone was outside." Lily looks up at Emily, this time really expecting her to answer, and Emily sighs. Lily was always so shy.

"Yeah, she really wants to." Tara nods, a small smile on her face.

"Great! Let's go. Help her out of the bed." Emily nods and lifts Lily up onto her back, much to the surprise and delight of the younger girl. She giggles as Emily takes her outside, running at the speed of light. Tara watches them go, a small smile on her face. She quirks an eyebrow. "That wasn't what I was expecting, but okay," she chuckles.

The two girls race outside into the boatload of people, and once they see the sunlight of day, Emily place sLily back down on the ground and leads her to the back, holding her hand tightly in her own. As soon as they step outside, most of the kids rush over to see the new girl, and Lily hides behind Emily's back, her hand clutching to her sisters leg now.

"Guys, back up!" Emily quickly states, bringing Lily in front of her. Most of the kids back up except for one boy, who tilts his head slightly. He stares at the small cut on her forehead.

"How did you get that?" he asks cutely. Lily furrows her brow. Out of all the questions someone could ask that was not the one she was thinking he would. She shrugs softly.

"I...don't know," she replies quietly. The boy smiles.

"I think it looks cool!" Lily's eyes widen and Emily smiles. If she knew correctly, this boy was named Daniel, and he was the son of one of the fighters, people who kept the mill safe. From looking around, she always saw him look at his dad's scars. Kids today thought those sort of things were awesome to have.

"Really?" All the kids nod as Daniel does."Well, uh..thanks," she mumbles a bit happily. A girl steps up next to Daniel.

"We're playing soldier! You wanna be one?" Lily looks up at Emily and the older girl nods. Lily smiles a bit unsurely at the kids but nods all the same. The girl smiles. "Great! Come with us!" The little girl grabs her arm and drags her off with the other kids, much to her surprise, but she lets them take her away from Emily. She smiles as Lily listens to the small girl. Lily needed people her age to talk to. Especially after what happened to her at Terminus. Even if she couldn't remember.

"She doing alright?" she hears behind her. Emily spins around and comes face to face with Carl. Her eyes narrow.

"How do you even know?" she hisses at him. "You weren't in the room when we brought her back."

"Daryl told me about her," he replies calmly. "Is she doing better?"

"Why do you care?" Granted, Lucy had told Emily last night that she needed to let all this go, but right now she felt all that go out the fucking window. "You fucking stabbed me!"

"I didn't mean to!" he responds. "You scared me!"

"I didn't do anything!" she whispers angrily. "The main point being is that if you din't stab me, she wouldn't be like this!"

"Like what?"

"Scared of everything!" She turns back to the kids and sighs. "They fucked her up. Real good. She can't remember anything at all. Nothing. Nada. If I had gotten there sooner she wouldn't have been like this. She would have been-"

"Normal?" Carl states. She turns to him, her brow furrowed. "Look, I'm sorry for what I did. I was stupid and should have waited until I actually saw you to see what I was stabbing. If it was dead or not. But bitching about it isn't going to make all this go away. No kid is normal now, especially little kids. It was two months ago. You're healed and your sister is okay. That's all that matters." She snorts, crossing her arms.

"I'm starting to think Lucy sent you over. You sound like her." He shrugs.

"She's smart. I can understand why Daryl likes her." Emily sighs, looking back to the kids. "She has a point, too."

"Okay, okay, no need to berate me," she chastises, turning back to him. She takes a deep sigh and stretches out her hand. "I think we got off to the wrong start. I'm Emily." He chuckles and returns the gesture.

"Carl," he replies. She smiles, but then her face turns serious.

"You ever fucking stab me again, mentally or physically, I will not hesitate to slit your throat," she growls at him. He takes his hand back and puts them up in a surrender motion.

"I won't do anything." She smirks.

"Then it's nice to meet you, Carl."

At the other side of the yard, there sat a few picnic tables where families sat, talking, or where some people were planning on where to go or what to do next. The kids played a bit further away from them.

Lucy along with Daryl and Quinn were all sitting at the end of one table, while Sam sat at the other end, playing peek-a-boo with Quinn's son, Logan. More blonde hair had grown in and was now covering the almost two year olds eyes. He was giggling, his green eyes light, as Sam kept covering her eyes and uncovering them like a mother would do to their child. She would make a good sister to a little girl or boy.

"No, we've already gone there!" Quinn states as they go over raid plans. "Wait, what about this mall some miles away?" Lucy shakes her head.

"No, we've already been there. There has to be some sort of place we can go." Quinn bites her lip and turns to where the entrance was and sees Matt coming out, some sort of map in his hands. Quinn stands up and steps away from the table.

"I'll go ask Matt, see if he has anything we could go to." She walks away and over to her husband while Lucy sighs, looking back down at the small map they had. Daryl's brow furrows.

"Somthin' the matter?" he asks. She shakes her head, taking a sip of her water bottle.

"No, just...I guess I'm just a little tired." She turns to Daryl. "I don't think Emily got a wink of sleep last night. She was walking around the apartment all night and kept moving, woke me a few times. And now I feel it," she chuckles. He shrugs a bit, sliding into the seat next to her.

"She's just worried. Lily looks okay now." Lucy turns to him.

"I only got there when she was cleaned. What did she look like before?" He snorts, shaking his head slightly.

"Covered in blood, head to toe. Most of 'em from her own cuts."

"Jeez. Who on earth would do that to a little girl?" she whispers so Sam wouldn't hear.

"Some pretty fucked up people," he mumbles, but Lucy still spins around and slaps his shoulder slightly. His brow furrows, asking her indirectly what that was for.

"Language!" she whispers fiercely. He rolls his eyes and suddenly wraps his arms around her waist, pulling her towards him. She lets out a soft squeal of surprise but relaxes a second later, settling in his arms and resting her head on his chest. He surprises her by laying his chin on top of her head softly, keeping her close. This was something that didn't usually happen. Daryl didn't do public affection a lot. Sometimes they held hands, rarely they kissed. This was on a whole different level.

Lucy looks to all the kids and sighs. At least they were acting like little kids and being themselves. Some people didn't do that at all anymore. Her eyes move to Sam who was still playing peekaboo with Logan. A thought crossed her mind.

"You ever want kids?" she asks quietly. His head lifts off her head and he looks at her, his brow furrowed slightly.

He'd be lying if the thought never crossed his mind. Before he thought he was too much of a dumbass to even think about having kids, think that he would just end up like his bastard of a father, but with Lucy it seemed so...simple, no matter how stupid that sounded, especially in this world.

"I'd...never really thought about it," he mumbles. She looks up, placing one of her hands on top of his.

"You're great with Sam. She loves you." He looks down at the ground.

"I guess but...a kid Lucy? Where the hell did that come from?" She shrugs slightly, turning around to fully face him. "I don't...think that's a good idea."

"Why?" she asks. "Quinn has a little son, and they're doing fine."

"Lucy, I told ya about what happened to Lori. It's just not a good idea." Lucy rolls her eyes.

"Yes, you have told me the whole story, but Daryl, that was a different situation. That was in a prison where you didn't have the supplies or the medical treatments, and a shit ton of walkers were attacking the place to add onto it. Here, we have protection, heat, all the supplies...it's perfect." Daryl's eyes narrow.

"How do ya know that, huh? What happened at the prison could happen here too, with those Terminus people. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if they did set the whole place on fire because of what we did! What about then huh?" She rolls her eyes.

"Daryl, you're being dramatic-"

"No, I aint," he interrupts angrily. "Lucy, it would be stupid to do tha'. Even if it did happen ya could get killed by it. Ya could just...I don't know," he finishes, turning to the table and placing his head in his hands. He had never thought Lucy would ever ask about that.

Lucy smiles sadly and gently moves his hands away from his face so she could see. She could tell what was really going on in there. He didn't mind the fact of having a kid, and she knew that, especially with Sam being around. He was afraid that she would end up getting hurt, or the baby would. He didn't want anything bad to happen to her ever again, especially after what happened at the prison.

"Hey, it was just a thought. Doesn't mean it has to happen," she states softly, but he could hear the bit of sadness in her voice. It pained him to hear it, to know that he couldn't give her what she wanted. "I get it. You're nervous and don't know what'll happen. I really do understand. I just...you know. I love you, and even in this fucked up world I wanna...try to live at least a partially normal life...and I want it to be with you." He looks down a bit uncomfortably for a second. Hearing Lucy talk about that seemed like it was just a dream that couldn't be granted.

"Seem's like a hard thing ta do," he mumbles. She chuckles.

"That's why I said try. And haven't we been living okay for the past couple of months? It's been pretty good." He looks back up and sees her smile was back on her face. A piece of hair falls from her ponytail and she rolls her eyes, trying to blow it back up. Daryl smirks and pushes it behind her ear. He lets his hand linger on her cheek for a second before dropping it to his side.

"Aint saying no," he mumbles, and her eyebrows raise. "Just...scared." There. He admitted it.

"It's fine to be like that," she replies. "Everyone gets like that now and then." Before he could reply, the sound of a door closing near the building brings them back and they both glance over to see who had come out. Carol started walking towards the picnic tables and Lucy snorts. "Great, the big wicked witch of the west is coming." Daryl snorts a bit and then turns her back around, placing his arms back around her waist.

As Carol approches, she takes in the sight before her for a second but shakes her head. Lucy silently smirks. That woman was always jealous no matter what. Before she could fully talk to them, Hunter is suddenly let out with all the other dogs and he runs over and in between Carol's legs. She topples over and falls to the ground in a heap as Hunter runs away, barking madly.

Lucy breaks out into giggles at the sight of her falling over, and even though she knew Daryl was trying to control himself, she could feel him snickering behind her.

"I have never been more proud of Hunter," Lucy whispers to Daryl, and she feels him break. Before anyone could see, he buries his face in her neck, trying to hide his enjoyment in all of this. Lucy smiles for a moment but nudges his side slightly as Carol finally gets up and walks over, now a bit more angrily.

"Afternoon, Carol," she snickers a bit. Carol rolls her eyes at Lucy's behavior. Sam looks up from her game and sees Carol approaching the table. She grabs Logan gently and shies away from the woman, closer to the end of the table. Carol places her hands on the table and bends down.

"Who's that new girl that we brought in?" she hisses. "We already have enough people here!" Daryl looks back up and glares slightly at Carol.

"Aint yer decision," he replies. Carol stands straight and places her hands on her hips.

"So we're just gonna bring in every single little girl who's bleeding? What if they're bit? What if they're basically already dead?" Lucy now glares at her.

"She wasn't any of that. Lily escaped that place. Lily is Emily's sister. So Lily stays here and heals. We're not sending those two back out into the wild. That's just cruel and inhumane." _Then again, what more can I expect from this woman? _she thinks silently.

"She might be working for Terminus or something like that!" Lucy and Daryl exchange a look before turning to Carol, both brow raised.

"Really Carol?" both ask. She was really burnt about this.

"Lily's nice!" Sam suddenly intervenes. "I talked to her last night! She's not working for the Termites!" Lucy's bore furrows at this. Termites? That actually almost made the place look cute. Only the four year old would come up with that. Carol glares at the little girl.

"You stay out of this!" she spat at Sam. The little girl cringes at the woman's tone.

"Carol, we're done here," Daryl states, and Lucy could hear the anger in his voice. "The girl stays. That's it." Carol glares angrily at the two before stomping off like a child who didn't get her way. Lucy turns to Sam.

"You okay, sweetie?" she asks quietly. Sam nods, looking at Carol leaving.

"I'm okay," she mumbles. Lucy turns to Daryl and places a hand on his cheek to calm him down. His eyes divert from the retreating woman down to Lucy, and she visually sees him relax a bit.

"Hey, it's fine," she murmurs to him. He sighs, looking down at the ground.

"I'm done with all her shit," he mutters. Lucy snickers a bit.

"I'm pretty sure everyone is," she replies. Daryl looks back up.

"Did ya ever tell Joey and Quinn about what she did to ya?" he says quietly, taking a quick glance over at Sam. She went back to playing with Logan. Lucy shrugs.

"I told them someone poisoned me, but I didn't tell them who." His eyes widen.

"Why not?!" She looks back over at Carol and sighs.

"I don't know I just...as much as I hate the woman i can't willingly send her back out there. No one deserves to be alone during all of this. People need other people."

"Lucy, she tried to kill ya!" She turns back to Daryl.

"I know what she did!" she whispers fiercely at him, her eyes setting into a hard glare. "I'd just...I'd have so much guilt over it. I wouldn't be able to live with myself." Daryl sighs and looks down at the ground again. Typical Lucy. Always being the good guy even with the bad people.

"Lucy-wait, what's goin' on?" he asks, looking back near the doors. Lily turned around while playing and looked to the doors. She found Emily first, still talking to that teenage boy, and then the blonde woman from the day before along with her husband, Quinn she had learned her name was. And then she looked at the grey haired woman who had approached the two.

Her eyes widened.

And she screamed.

_*******_ "No!" she screamed, backing into the tree. All the kids looked strangely at her and Emily looked over at the sound of her sister. Her hands went to her face, every bad memory coming back in a flash. "Go away! Get her away! She helped them! She was there! She watched them!" she cries, sinking to the floor in pain.

Emily's brow furrows and she runs over to her little sister, falling to the ground as she reaches her, her hands touching Lily's face. Lily swipes them away, her eyes shut tight. Emily pulls back as more people come over. Lucy and Daryl stand up and look at each other. A silent talk is exchanged between them and they nod. Daryl heads off towards the small group that was gathering and Lucy grabs Sam in one arm and Logan in the other. Sam looks nervously over at the group.

"What's happening mommy?" she asks worriedly. Lucy doesn't say anything and simply brings her kid and Logan over to Quinn. The older girls brow furrows.

"What's going on?"

"I have an idea," she mutters to Quinn. "Keep them away from over there." Quinn nods and Lucy takes off, watching as Emily tried to get to Lily.

"No! NO! DON'T TOUCH ME! I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!" she cries, covering her face. Emily places her hand gently on her shoulder.

"Lily, I'm not gonna hurt you! What...what did they do?" she asks quietly.

"They h..hurt me and be..eat me and whipp-ped me," she hiccuped through her tears. "They...they touched me." Emily's eyes widen and a sudden rage flares inside her. "They...they went...it hurt so much!" she cries into her legs. Daryl backs up at this, his eyes narrowed in disgust, adverting them to the ground. His fists clench in anger.

Those fuckers **raped** Lily.

Lucy reaches the group just as Daryl backed up from it. She places a hand on his shoulder to look at him. He was glaring angrily down at the ground. Her brow furrowed.

"You alright, babe?" she asks. He doesn't reply. Instead he turns around abruptly and storms into the mill. Lucy's eyes follow him back into the building, her brow furrowed. What on earth happened?!

She walks over to the group and sees Lily look up, but she wasn't looking at her. Her eyes were diverted to the gray haired woman who was watching the scene with malice but also nervousness. Lily's red eyes narrowed and she pointed at Carol.

"She watched!" she screams. Emily turns her head to where she was pouting and saw her pointing at Carol. Her eyes narrow in confusion. "She HELPED THEM! SHE WATCHED THEM TOUCH ME! SHE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!" she yells at them. Lucy turns around and sees Carol starting to back up inside the mill as Quinn and Matt stared at her in disgust. Lucy glares at the woman.

"But...she's with us," a kid mutters.

"She's helping them!" Lily cries, finally falling into Emily's arms. Emily caught her without looking, still staring at the retreating woman. Lucy turns back to the group and nods at Emily, silently telling to to bring the girl inside. She needed to rest. Emily nods and pics her up. _*******_

"BACK UP!" she yells at the kids. All of them scurry away as Emily carries her sister to the mill. Lucy turns around and runs to Quinn. Sam was clutching onto Quinn's leg like she would do to Lucy.

"She-"

"I know," Quinn interrupts, still staring where Carol had taken off. "Matt and I will tell Joey and Tara, and we'll talk to her. My mom will watch the kids. You go after your man. Seems he's pissed." Lucy sighs.

"I didn't even hear what happened." Quinn snorts.

"If Daryl's that mad, it's bad." Lucy looks down at Sam who stared at Lily as she passed.

"Sam." The little girl looks up. "Stay with Quinn. I gotta talk to Mr. Daryl." Sam nods and Lucy takes off. Where the hell could he have gone?

**~%~**

It took her a little while to find him. The only thing that gave her any leeway was the sound of a crossbow reloading and shooting into a target. She followed the sound slowly, trying to hear exactly where it was coming from. As she made her way around a corner she realized where it was was coming from. A while ago they had created a training center deep in the mill, so when people trained it wouldn't disturb anyone else.

Apparently Daryl was using it right now.

She watches him for a moment, sort of in curiosity and in admiration. Every single time he hit the target it landed in the middle, and then he'd just reload again, and she'd see his muscles tense as he did. But there was something about this. He was pissed at something. She still didn't know what happened to Lily. She knew it was bad, and that Carol had something to do with it, but he must know.

He didn't know Carol had alliances though. He went away before Lily said that. Lucy cringes inwardly. She wasn't looking forward to telling him that. If this was how mad he was right now, he was probably going to explode at the announcement of that.

She walks in and locks the door behind her, still watching him from afar. She didn't need anyone coming in here and potentially setting him off even more.

"Daryl?" she asks tentatively. He doesn't respond, doesn't even turn around to acknowledge her, just continues shooting into the targets, reloading as he goes. "What are you doing?"

"Practicin'," was his gruff reply and he loaded another arrow. She approached a bit slowly. She didn't think she had ever seen him this pissed off at something. What the hell happened to Lily?

"Uh...for what?" she asks as she reaches him.

"Terminus." She stops where she was and furrows her brow.

"We're not attacking them, at least not yet." He shoots another arrow into the target.

"Yeah we are," he replies. She steps closer.

"When did we decide this?" she asks. "I'm pretty sure we were talking about raids last time."

"We aint plannin' shit." She places her hand on his shoulder again.

"Daryl-"

"I'm fuckin' done, Lucy!" he finally snaps, turning around sharply and dropping his weapon to the ground. She cringes when she hears the crash, but her eyes were fully on Daryl. "Those fuckin' bastards deserve every fuckin' thing they get! All of 'em! Every single asshole in that stupid fuckin' place!" She steps back a bit.

"Everyone thinks that! We've all been wondering when-"

"We take 'em out now we won't have to worry about 'em!" he responds, his anger practically vibrating off of him.

"Daryl, you're not thinking straight," she comments.

"I'm thinkin' perfectly straight!" he spat. "They deserve every fuckin' thing for **raping **a god damn **little girl!**"

Lucy's eyes widen in terror and shock. That was what happened to Lily?! Jesus fucking christ.

"What?" she barely asks, her voice coming out as a whisper. He finally drops to the floor and sits against the wall, his head in his hands.

"She said they touched 'er...beat her, hurt her...and went inside. Aint that much of an idiot to know what that means." He shakes his head slightly. "Fuck, Lucy. They're fuckin' monsters," he mumbles. She sits down, still slightly in shock and looks at him. "A little girl, Lucy. A fuckin' little girl. That's why Lily's so fucked up. They literally fucked 'er up." She gently takes one of his hands in hers.

"Hey, it happened. You can't change the past. But we will kill all those people, especially for what they did to Lily. No one deserves that, especially her. But...that's not just it. Carol..." He closes his eyes tightly and sets his jaw in a firm line, looking down at the ground.

"Do not tell me she had somethin' to do with this," he growls. Lucy bites her lip slightly.

"She helped them." He lets his head hang.

"I'm gonna fuckin' kill her," he mutters. "This what she's been doin' to try and kill ya?" he says to himself. Her brow furrows.

"Well, I knew she was planning to kill me. Since the prison. Did you and her have a talk?" He snorts.

"Yeah. Months ago. She told me she was tryin' to give rid of ya and Sam. Didn't do anythin' so I thought she gave up. Never told ya about it. Didn't want ya to worry." Lucy scoffs.

"I always worry. You didn't have to keep it from me. I could tell though." He looks at her with a furrowed brow. She smiles. "Daryl, you're always around Sam and I. It's sort of obvious you're protecting us from something. I don't mind though. I think it's sweet...sexy even." He quirks an eyebrow at this and she giggles slightly. "Either way, what's done is done. Carol...I don't know what we're gonna do with her. Shoot her, banish her...do whatever. That's Quinn, Joey and Tara's call. I don't even have to tell them what she did now to get her kicked out. But Lily will be safe, and everyone else will be too. All that matters...is that we're still here and alive. I need you here with me."

Daryl was lost for words, only for a moment. Christ, he loved this girl. _She needed him. _Even after everything that's happened, she openly admitted that she needed him. He knew he should reply, but since words always seemed to fail him, he took Lucy's face firmly in his hands and kissed her.

She didn't even think quick enough, at least not as quick as her body did. She moved slightly but he did all the work for her, grabbing her body and placing it on top of his lap as the kiss grew. His hands slowly traveled down her back and settled right above her hips, while her fingers blazed a burning trail down her neck.

"Here? Really?" she breathes into the humid air.

Daryl nodded shortly. "Gotta be quick, and quiet." She snorts a bit at the end.

"Not so sure about that last part," she whispers as she shimmied out of her shorts and underwear. Daryl unbuckled his belt and unzipped his fly, not even bothering to get undressed. The door was locked, as he heard from before, so no one would get in. Lucy knew they'd be fine, but being in Daryl arms at the moment, she couldn't care less.

Daryl pawed anxiously at Lucy's hips, bringing her back to straddle his lap, wasting no time in dipping two fingers into her wetness, stroking the already sensitive bud in-between her thighs with varying firmness until she was grinding against his hand. To be honest, what made him storm away wasn't just the fact that they had touched Lily. What really pissed him off was that it could have been Lucy getting touched like that, or Sam, or even Emily. Anyone of them could have gotten what Lily got. But Lucy was right. That wasn't gonna happen, at least not while he was still alive and standing. She was here, alive and in color and his for the taking.

Ever the persistent woman, Lucy seemed to know instinctively what to do. She took Daryl's cock firmly in her hand and sunk down onto him in one fluid motion. Both cried out at the suddenness of the pleasure, and Daryl had to bite hard on his lower lip to hold back a moan.

"That good?" she whispers as she slowly rocked against him.

"Yeah, fuck yeah," he pants, guiding her silky hips. "Can't lose ya. Not again."

"I'm right here," she repeats to him knowingly through her pleasure, grinding down harder onto his pulsing member.

"Christ-love ya, Lucy, fuck, I...oh fuck," Daryl breathed into her shoulder when she started to pick up the pace.

With each thrust Lucy clenched around him, her velvety walls massaging him with such amazing friction that he nearly came right then and there. She was throbbing all around him, her body already building towards a powerful climax/

"I love you," she murmurs as he clutched her tighter to his chest. "I love you, Daryl. Jesus, I love you." The words became stronger, more powerful than any touch until both were teetering over the edge, trying to hold back.

"Aint gonna last any longer," he groaned desperately, bucking up into Lucy's tight, wet heat.

"Already there," she pants, and relief washed over Daryl. All it took was her tugging on his hair and he was there, his hips jerking against hers a few more times with enough force to bruise before he was shooting inside her with a choked off moan. His release started hers, and soon they were both twitching and groaning together, holding onto each other for dear life, riding out the waves of pleasure.

"God, I fuckin' love ya," Daryl breathes into her neck, still reeling from what just happened. She snickers.

"Pretty sure you just proved that," she chuckles. He playfully nips her ear at this.

"Watch it woman." She smiles at him, her hair all messed up and blocking her face, but even so, Daryl still thought she looked perfect. He pushes some of it behind her ears and leans in, giving her a gentle kiss on the lips. When he pulls back, he lays his forehead against hers. "How the hell did I get lucky enough to get ya?" he mumbles. She smiles softly.

"You weren't lucky. You just have me. Always will." His eyes cast downwards and her brow furrows. "What?"

"Still worried about ya...and Sam. After what happened to Lily I just...can't get the fact that could have been ya or her or-" She cuts him off by firmly placing her lips on his.

"Shut up," she mumbles as they kissed. "Just shut up." She pulls back and runs her fingers through his hair. "You can't go through life without worrying now. It's just a part of it. But listen to me when I tell you this. No matter what we go through, me, Sam, you or anyone else that we care about, they will be fine. Remember, we're in this together. We'll be alive and standing and living life, no matter what sort of shit comes our way." She gives him another kiss and smirks. "Now, why don't we go see what we can do about all this?"

He nods a bit, helping her off and up. She grabs her shorts and underwear and places them back on, turning to him, who was now buckled back up and trying to make it look like they hand;t done what they just did. She snorts and walks over to him, purposely roughing up his hair a bit. He glares at her but she simply smiles yet again, taking his hand and leading him back out into civilization. They were gonna deal with this bitch properly.

**~%~**

**Told ya I would have a little treat for ya! Took me an hour to write that scene XD**

**Review please? :) Luv ya!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Thank you so much for the following people who reviewed:**

DarylDixon'sLover

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Guest (which I'm pretty sure is mrskaz453)

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**Another person reviewed but this stupid sight wouldn't let me put it down. Thank you guys so much. And also thank you to the new followers and favorites on the story! Welcome to the mess :) Now, let's move on with the story, shall we?**

**~%~**

After Lucy and Daryl left the training room, both decided to head off into two different places for a moment. Daryl, still reeling slightly from his little session with Lucy, walked towards the infirmary. Matt had told them as they got back to the middle of the mill that Emily had taken Lily to the infirmary to calm down. Lucy told him that she was going to talk to Quinn and the rest about what they were going to do with Carol. To be honest, he had wanted to go with Lucy to see what was happening, but the Lily thing was still nagging on him.

When he looked inside the small infirmary, he saw Lily leaning up in her bed, her knees against her chest, her small arms wrapped around them. Her head lied on top of her knees, and her eyes were trained to the wall. Some tubes were hooked up to her, some sort of liquid feeding into her system. That's when he sees the cuts on her arms. They were fresh, as he could see the stitches that had just been put in.

Had she tried to kill herself?

He knocks on the wall for some reason, maybe not wanting to scare the girl, knowing she had already been through enough in the past twenty four hours. She jumps slightly, turning her head to see who was looking for her, and lets a soft sight of relief escape her when she sees him.

"You were with Emily," she softly says. "You helped her bring me back." Daryl nods slightly and comes into the room, looking at the little girl with a mixture of pity and sorrow.

"Yeah, I did. She's happy yer okay." Lily tilts her head.

"You sound like a cowboy." He lets out a mixture of laugh and a snort. In all his years, he had never heard anyone say he sounded like a cowboy. Of course the little girl would be the first to say that. "Like the one in 'Night at the Museum.'"

"Pretty sure that's the first I've heard that." She looks back down at the sheets.

"Is she gone?" He knew she was asking about Carol. He sits down next to her on the bed, his legs hanging off the edge.

"They're talking about her right now. Even then, she won't come near ya. Wouldn't let her anyway." Lily looks up and smiles at him, her green eyes lighting up ever in the slightest.

"I'm Lily," she states cutely. He chuckles at her persistence.

"Daryl." She tilts her head.

"Daryl?" she questions, trying the name out. He nods. "That's a cool name." He chuckles at this, shaking his head slightly.

"Yer the first to say it." She shrugs slightly.

"I don't think I am." She unwraps her arms from around her legs and leans up against the headboard. "Am I gonna be safe now?" He nods.

"Trust me, aint no one gonna get to ya." Lily nods slightly, looking down at the bandage that was on her wrist, which was allowing a few of her stitches to be shown. He takes her wrist gently and examines the wound of what he could see. There was blood that stained the bandage, and the few stitches he could see, but that was about the gist that he could examine. "How'd this happen?" he asks softly.

"I lost it," she mumbles. "All the memories...and the people...and all the touching." He sees she was starting to tremble again, her shoulders beginning to shake. To stop another freakout from happening, he thinks fast and grabs her shoulders, causing her to snap her head up and stare at him.

"Don't need ya freaking out again." She nods slowly and takes a deep breath, letting it out as long as possible, before shaking her head to wake herself up. "You're fine, Lily. Aint no one gonna hurt ya. Gotta calm down." She nods again, still shaking her head slightly to make the panic go away. She looks up again and her brow furrows slightly. Lifting her small hand, she gently brushes some of his brow hair away from his face, some of which was sticking to his head due to the sweat.

"Why are you so sweaty?" He quirks an eyebrow at the question, but slowly feels his cheeks begin to redden. It wasn't because it was so hot outside, that's for sure. All that sweat was thanks to Lucy.

"Been workin' all day," he mutters. Well, it was partially true. She nods.

"You need a haircut." He snorts.

"I do, do I?" he responds. "What about yer hair, huh? Got all this blonde hair in front of ya. Gonna stop ya from seein' all those walkers."

"Walkers?" she asks.

"What we call those things outside." She nods in understanding.

"Well...I like my hair. I'm not cutting it." He chuckles at the statement slightly. Typical little girl.

"Ya sure about that?" She nods rapidly. "Better tie it up then. Don't need those walkers coming to get ya." She nods again and looks around for a hairband, settling on one as she found it in the beside table. She ties her hair up quickly but due to the amount a few pieces fall out. She frowns and blows them away, but they kept coming back. Daryl chuckles slightly at the young girl trying to fix her hair, but a sudden angry thought comes over him.

Who would want to hurt this girl? What kind of monsters would do what they did to her? And then in that moment, for the first time in a while, he actually felt his chest tighten at this. Even if the girl was laughing now, was trying to fix her hair and act all cute, she wasn't innocent. Not anymore. And this scarred her for life. It wasn't going to go away.

And that made him even angrier.

"Lily, I gotta ask ya a quick question." She gives up on her hair and looks up at him, a few pieces still lying on the side of her face.

"Yes?"

"Don't freak out, okay?" She nods, bringing her knees into indian style, crossing one over the other. "What did the people look like...the ones who hurt ya?" She instantly looks down at the bed sheets, closing her eyes. Something was coming over her. He yet again places his hand on her shoulder to calm her down and she takes a deep breath. Glancing back up, she begins to talk.

"There were three of them." Three men did that to her?! "And one woman...that woman from before. One of the men was young, with black hair and green eyes, but he was also being tortured. He was forced to watch. He wanted to help but he couldn't, and before I got out they...they knocked him out. I don't know if he's alive or not."

At least there was still one good person left in the world.

"Ya remember his name?"

"...Henry. His name was Henry. He...he actually did try...he snuck up on one of the men and banged him on the head with a piece of wood...but it wasn't hard enough. The guy shot him." Daryl nods. He made a mental note in his head that when he did eventually get to Terminus and kill these fuckers, he would find out if this kid was alive.

"Okay...what were the other two men?" She gulps a bit and continues.

"One was really tall...and one of his ears was chipped off. Someone had torn a bit off. The other...the other," she mumbles. shaking her head, trying to stop the tears from coming. "He...he was really mean looking. One of his eyes was dark brown and the other was dark green, and he had a scraggly beard and messy hair. He was really...skinny, but he still had enough to strength to...well, I don't wanna-"

"It's fine Lily. Ya don't gotta get into it," he states softly. she nods, still staring down at the bed.

"I want them dead." That made him stop in his tracks. That felt wrong to hear a little girl say. Even Sam had never said that before. But she actually seemed really serious about the matter. She wanted them gone. He places his hand back on her shoulder and she looks up, this time with tears streaming down her face. He wipes one that was making its way down her cheek.

"No need to cry. Yer safe." She nods. "And they'll be gone. Ya can count on that." A smile comes across her face. A sudden bark from the entrance on the infirmary causes both their heads to turn to the door. Hunter ran in, his tongue flapping in the wind, panting and spit flying off. Lily's eyes light up.

"Doggy!" she exclaims, jumping from her spot and moving her legs so that they hung off the side of the bed. Hunter rushes towards her and jumps.

"Lily, no-" Daryl tries to say, attempting to move the girl out of the way of the dog, but as soon as Hunter begins to lick her face and a laugh escapes-an actual laugh-he steps off. Lily was smiling and petting the dogs fur, Hunter graciously licking her face as she did.

"You're a good doggy, aren't you? You're so cute and fluffy. You couldn't harm a fly!" she gushes to the animal. Daryl chuckles.

"Ya would be surprised how badass this dog is." She looks up and smiles.

"What's his name?"

"Hunter." Her smiles increases.

"Does he 'hunt'?" He rolls his eyes.

"Wasn't my idea, kid." She giggles and turns back to the dog, scratching him behind his ear. His tail wags as she does it. "But he does hunt. Think he likes you."

"He does, does he? Well, I like him too." Hunter licks her face again and she snickers. "Emily and I took care of a puppy when it's foot was hurt. After it was healed we gave him to a family who really wanted a dog. I always wanted to keep the puppy, though. I always wanted a puppy, but Emily said 'No. We don't know how to keep one going, only how to help it.' I wish she had said yes."

"Yer sister decided whether ya got to keep it or not?" He found that hard to believe. "What about yer parents before all this?" Her brow furrows. She turns to him.

"What parents?" she asks. A confused expression comes over his face.

"Yer...parents? Ya know, mom and dad?"

"I never had any." His brow rises. "Emily isn't my biological sister. She's my foster home sister. When I was born, my parents dropped me off at this old foster home on the edge of the Bronx, near Manhattan. Guess they just didn't want me. Emily had grown up for five years in that place before I came. Out of all the children there who were being looked after, Emily was the only person who ever really claimed the big sister title."

That's why Emily never mentioned her parents, and why she had said 'Gone' that day they found her. She never had any to begin with.

"...really?" he asks. She nods.

"Yeah. The foster people weren't that amazing either. I mean, they did the typical 'parent' stuff, but other than that they never really showed they cared. We never had a real Christmas, or I never got to go to zoo...I don't think I ever got ice cream. I remember I always wanted to taste chocolate, and look at the lions and the elephants...instead I stayed home with Emily and we watched TV...like always. It was boring."

Hunter jumps up on the bed and curls next to her, laying his head on her lap. She smiles.

"Does Emily like Hunter?" Daryl shrugs, still trying to let the information he just got process through his brain.

"Yeah...I think she does. Don't push him away." Lily nods slightly.

"She told me she wanted a german shepherd a long time ago, but she couldn't get one. The dog we took care of was a baby labrador." He nods. He still couldn't get the fact out of his head that those two were orphans, that no one wanted them. Emily might be a bit rough around the edges, but she was an overall nice girl. Lily just seemed broken and confused, but either way she still had a small smile on her face.

People were assholes.

Suddenly, Lily began to cough violently and Daryl's face turns to concern. She covered her mouth with her hands and lets it happen. When she's done she swallows a bit and looks up, letting her hand fall to the side.

"What was tha'?" he asks, looking at her hand. There wasn't any blood on it, but it still perked his interest. She chuckles slightly, still recovering from her fit.

"It's normal. I have a small disease called Smaltza Pocksos. It isn't deadly, but every once in a while I get the flu and it kicks my ass." He smirks a bit at the language escaping from the nine year olds mouth but still listen intently. "It's nothing terrible, just something I gotta live with."

Daryl's brow furrows. That was something new.

"Can ya take medicine for it?" he asks. She shrugs.

"Yeah, simple cold medicine helps, but I highly doubt there's any in here. I never really had any in the first place." She places her hand on top of Hunter again and pets his fur lightly, causing his tail to wag again.

"We're headin' out on a run soon," he says, remembering what they had been talkin' about before the whole fiasco. "Could probably pick some stuff up, help ya feel a bit better." Her eyes widen and she looks up, disbelief on her face.

"Really?" she squeaks out. His brow furrows. Was she getting choked up about getting medicine? He shrugs.

"Might as well. Runnin' out of shit anyway." She suddenly moves Hunter form her lap slightly so she could move and wraps her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. He freezes in his spot. He didn't know how to deal with this. He awkwardly places an arm around her, letting it rest at the base of her shoulder.

"Thank you," she speaks softly. "For saving me and this. You're amazing." He feels his cheeks heat up at the statement. This kid had no idea who he was or what he had done in order to survive.

"Wouldn't say that kid." She pulls back and smiles.

"No, you are. I bet your family loves you." His brow quirks.

"Family? Ya mean the group?" He had to say that even if they were his family now. She shakes her head.

"Not just the group. Your wife and daughter." His eyes widen. Jesus she was like Emily.

"She...she aint my wife...and Sam's not mine." She pouts.

"Well, you two look like you're married. I think you should ask her. And she doesn't have to be blood for you to be her daddy. I learned that from the foster homes." Daryl sighs. This kid didn't hold anything back. For once in his life, he actually asked for advice from a nine year old, something he would probably never do again.

"Ya think I should?" he mumbles to her just in case someone might be outside. She nods.

"She'll say yes." That was the most blunt answer he ever heard. He never even thought about marriage before all this, but now with Lucy he was thinking all sorts of things he never thought he would. He stands up from the bed and looks at Hunter. He seemed perfectly comfortable there.

"Aint even gonna try to move him. Ya stay in that bed, ya hear? Gotta regain yer strength." She smiles and nods.

"I won't move." He nods and stands up, heading towards the door. "Daryl?" He stops and nods his head, telling her to go on. "Stay safe on the run. I don't want you dead."

"I'll be fine. No need to worry." The fact that Lily cared already made him happy and terrified at the same time. Looks like kids held no judgements against people like him.

He leaves the infirmary and heads down the hall to the direction where Lucy had taken off. As he walked down he noticed that someone was banging against the door of one of the offices. Through the window, he could see that it was Carol, and she was using her full body. Her hands were tied up so she couldn't reach for the handle, even though he knew it was locked.

Instead of opening it, he walks quicker down the hall to get to where they were discussing what to do. Even with everything that Carol had done and said in the past months, there was still a place within him that wanted to forget all that stuff. Carol had been the first one to even give him a chance in that group, and now she was just a...monster.

A monster like the rest of them.

He walks into the office and finds Quinn, Joey, Tara and Lucy talking very intensely while some of the kids were outside. Through the window he could see Emily talking to Sam, who was smiling and playing with Logan. Nothing seemed to wipe the smile off that kids face.

"What's going on?" he asks. Lucy looks over and smiles slightly at him before turning back to the group.

"Crazyness that's what," Quinn snarls. "Joey and Tara are being too human!" Daryl's brow furrows as he comes next to Lucy. 'Too human?' he mouths. She shakes her head, a sad look on her face, but he could see the conflicting look behind her eyes.

"What do ya mean?" he asks.

"Lucy and I both agreed that we wanted to drop her off somewhere so she couldn't find the mill, but these two are saying just kill her! Make it quick! We need her to feel pain, people. She stood there and let a little girl get raped! Does no one else see that?!" Lucy places a hand on her shoulder to calm her down, causing her to snap her head to look at the younger girl.

"Quinn, maybe we should think about this later. We still need to go on a raid to get stuff. We need to focus on food and medicine, remember?" Quinn sighs and nods, then turns to Joey and Tara, a glare on her face.

"We're going to talk about this later!" she growls. "I'm not letting this go easily." She storms out of the room and bangs the door behind her. Joey and Tara sigh.

"She's really uptight about this." Lucy shrugs.

"I'm not surprised. But we gotta make our dues with her. We need to get this shit. Joey, get the car ready, and tell Mrs. Harris to watch Sam. Tara, please go try to calm down Quinn. I gotta talk to Daryl." Both nod and leave the room, the couple being the only people remaining. She turns to Daryl and smiles softly. "Where'd you go? Thought you were following me."

"Went to the infirmary." Her brow raises.

"Oh...to see Lily?" He nods. "Did she say anything." He scoffs slightly.

"Plenty," he mutters. "Told me there was this one kid who tried to help her. Don't know if he's alive or not. Two men held her down. One had a piece of his ear chopped off, and the other had two eyes that were different colors. At least she remembered those facts." She nods, crossing her arms across her chest.

"So what are we gonna do?" He snorts.

"I'm gonna kill 'em. Aint no one deserve that." She nods softly, looking outside. Daryl spares a glance and sees that she had a pained look on her face. "What's wrong?" he asks quietly. She shakes her head.

"I just can't believe...that someone would do that to a little girl. It's...insanity." He snorts.

"Yeah, well that's the world now. People suck."

"Not everyone," she mumbles, looking up at him. He looks down and sees the love and affection in her eyes, and even after all this time he still felt his breath being taken away and his heart flutter slightly. Whatever God was up there, he was still thanking him for stumbling into that cabin and meeting her.

"I guess," he mutters. She chuckles and leans up, giving him a gentle kiss, nice and slow. He responds slowly, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer. Emily and Lily's words echoed in his head as he kissed her, and with her arms wrapped around his neck, he knew exactly what he wanted to do, no question about it. A sound outside interrupts them.

"Ew!" a little kid exclaims. They pull apart and see at least five little kids looking into the glass. "That's gross!" another kid yells. Daryl smirks at them.

"Oh really?" he replies. He leans down and begins to place featherlight kisses along her neck, much to Lucy's surprise and to the kids disgust. They all squeal and run away from the window while Lucy laughs.

"Was that really necessary?" she chuckles. He comes back up and places another kiss on her lips.

"Yeah," he replies softly. "Those kids want gross, I'll give 'em gross." She smiles and grabs his hand.

"Well, we all agreed we're gonna go to the mall near the edge of the town that's close to here." His brow furrows.

"Haven't we been there?" She groans.

"Yes, we have, but we couldn't think of another place to go, so we're just going with it." She pulls him towards the door. "Come on. We gotta go."

**~%~**

When they got to the mall, Lucy stuck to Daryl's side as they made their way into the mall. The first plan was just Lucy, Quinn, Daryl, Tara, and Joey to go to the mall, but eventually it had ended up being ten people that came, Rick, Glenn and Maggie being three of them. Her knife was drawn and her gun was ready to pull. As they made their way inside, walkers made their way towards them, their jaws chomping, but everyone's weapons ended up in their heads by the end.

Lucy had stepped away for one second to stab one, and as her knife sunk into its head, blood splattered all over shirt and one her face. The walker falls to the ground but a disgusted look graces her face as she wipes the decayed liquid from her cheeks.

"You okay, Lucy?" Quinn states. She nods, stepping back from the dead walker.

"Fucking piece of shit," she mumbles. Quinn rolls her eyes.

"Yeah, we all know," she mumbles. "Okay, let's all scout out the area and bring back whatever you can. But _stay quiet. _We don't need to be attracting any more walkers then we already killed. Joey, Tara, you come with me. Lucy, Maggie, do you mind looking for food?" Maggie shakes her head.

"Nah it's fine." Lucy nods as well.

"I'm game." Quinn nods.

"Okay, everyone go." The group spreads out and Lucy spares a glance at Daryl, who gives her a discrete reassuring half smile. She smiles back and turns to Maggie, who was reloading her gun.

"I feel like its been forever since you and me have been alone," Maggie chuckles. Lucy snickers.

"Very true. Come on." Maggie nods and follows closely behind her.

"Quinn seems to be nice...also protective of you." Lucy shakes her head as they walk into the cafeteria. A walker from behind the counter stumbles up to it, but Lucy's knife stabs into its head and it falls onto the hard surface easily.

"You don't know the half of it." She jumps over the counter and heads to the back. "Did you ever find out what happened to Beth?" Maggie sighs.

"Yeah...Daryl told me. I could tell he felt really bad about it, and God was I mad that first few days in the train car, but over time I realized that it was stupid to hold a grudge...and I know she's alive. I have that...sisterly feeling, you know? Like I know she's okay. She might not be 'okay' okay, but she's alive." Lucy smiles. 'Like me and Quinn.'

Meanwhile on the other side of the mall, Daryl, Rick and Glenn were checking one of the old pharmacy's and Daryl was making his way down the fever isle, looking for cough medicine for Lily. He checked the expiration dates, trying to find one that wouldn't make her even sicker. After perusing for a few minutes, he finally settles on some pepto bismal that tasted like bubblegum. Granted, he had taken this stuff at least once when he was a kid, and he knew that it wasn't the most delicious of drinks, but it would do the job.

"Daryl?" he hears Ricks voice. He quickly places the medicine in his bag and turns to Rick who was coming down the isle. "You see Glenn anywhere?" Daryl looks around and his brow rises.

"No," he replies surprisingly. Rick looks across the outside of the store and snorts when he locates the young Korean.

"Found him," he replies, walking out of the store and across the hall. Daryl's eyes follow him and he sees that Glenn was in an old jewelry store, looking at neckless's that were lying down behind a glass case. Daryl feels his heart speed up. _Don't be a pussy _he thinks angrily to himself. He straightened himself out and walked across the short distance it took to get to the store.

When he gets in, Rick and Daryl stare curiously at him. Glenn looks up at them at the sudden footsteps and his cheeks redden slightly.

"Maggie's birthday is coming up." Rick chuckles.

"'S fine, man. Just hurry, gotta get goin'." Glenn scoffs.

"Don't act like you and Michonne don't have anything going on." Rick's eyebrows raise.

"And what makes you think that?" Glenn turns to him with a raised eyebrow.

"You're acting with her like how I did with Maggie back at the farm." Rick laughs slightly.

"Sure whatever ya say, Glenn," he chuckles. He turns to Daryl to ask him to check out the store next to them quickly, but finds that he wasn't standing next to him. His brow furrows and he looks around the store until his eyes land on the man, and he was doing the most uncharacteristically thing he had ever see him do.

Looking at wedding rings.

"No shit," he mumbles, walking over to the man. He walks up behind him and claps his hand on the younger mans shoulder. Daryl turns his head to look at him and sees the raised eyebrow, but also the half smile on his face. Daryl sighs, looking back to in front of him. "Really doing it?" He nods.

"Yeah...just don't really know where to start," he mumbles. Rick chuckles.

"It's actually sort of simple. Just think of what she likes, her personality. Whatever ring suits her, that's it." Daryl nods slightly, still staring at the broken glass and the jewelry behind it. This was something he never thought he would do, end up right here looking for something to give to her, something that symbolized that he wanted her forever.

Yup, defiantly never pictured this.

"Just want it to be..." His words trailed off.

"Perfect?" Rick finished for him. He nods.

"Love 'er so much," he mumbles. "Never thought I would." Rick smiles.

"I'm sure whatever you pick out it'll be fine." Glenn looks up from picking out his piece for Maggie and smirks.

"Personally I think it's about time. Even at the prison you two were making googily eyes at each other." Rick laughs while Daryl glares at him. Glenn places his hands up in a defense motion, saying he surrenders. "Just saying!"

On the other side, Maggie and Lucy were finished cleaning up the food area, grabbing anything they could find that wasn't messed up or completely gross. Lucy had the most food.

"I gotta say, you and Daryl seem pretty close." Lucy smiles softly, feeling her cheeks redden at the mention of Daryl.

"Well, yeah, we are together." Maggie smiles.

"I'm happy for you two. God, Daryl could be such an asshole sometimes, but when you and Sam came, all of that seemed to disappear." Lucy's brow furrows.

"Really?" Maggie nods.

"Yup. He was always so...kept to himself, didn't really do other things with other people, but when you came, he actually started laughing, smiling...you know, being an actual human being for once. We knew he had a heart, especially when he was with Judith, but with you and Sam it showed all the time." Lucy smiles. She liked that she was person to break down his walls.

"He still is like that with the little girl." Maggie snorts.

"You kidding me? God, he treats himself like shit sometimes but when you seem him with kids? It's a hook, line and sinker. He's so good with them. I just hope that one day, if Glenn and I do have kids, he'll be that way with them." Lucy smiles.

"Glenn's a great guy. I'm sure he will be when it does happen." Maggie smiles.

"My birthdays coming up," she states, and Lucy's eyes widen. "I hope he's not getting anything. I'm really not worth it."

"You kidding me?" Lucy laughs. "We're gonna have a party when that comes! Birthdays are rare now, since no one keeps track. Thank God you do!" They walk over to the truck and place the food in the trunk. "Guess we gotta go back in to get more. God, my arms feel like they're about to fall off." Maggie chuckles.

"Same." As they attempt to walk back to the mall though, they are pulled behind the truck with guns pointed to their heads. They struggle for a second before a rough voice speaks into Lucy's ear.

"You two make one sound and a bullet goes straight through your heads." Lucy's jaw clenches as her and Maggie share a nervous look. Maggie seemed to know the guy who was holding Lucy, as her eyes settled into a glare as soon as she looked at him. The man takes out some sort of megaphone from the car they had took and turns it on, a sinister smile on his face. "Hey! Rhee! Dixon! Think I got somethin' of yours!"

After that, the two men throw the women into the backseat of an old truck, and Lucy could make out other people, mostly women, tied up and their mouths covered in duck tape. As soon as the thought entered her mind, she found both her and Maggie's hands being tied with rope. She cringes slightly at the tight rope that was being put around her wrists. The man doing so chuckles darkly.

"I think both of ya are gonna be some fun ones," he whispers into her ear, and she turns around and spits in his face. His expression turns angry and he full on slaps her across the face, sending her straight to the ground. Maggie yelps at Lucy getting hit, but was soon shut up when duck tape was placed across her mouth. Lucy was seeing stars as the mind picked her up from her chin. "You listen to us now." She glares at him.

"Fuck you," she snarls out. The man chuckles, now placing tape over her mouth.

"You'll see what that truly means when we get back to Terminus." He pushes her back into the truck and she lands on the metal surface with a bang. Maggie tries to get over to her but the man who had slapped Lucy pushes her away. "No talking. We'll know."

Just as the two men are about to close the the back, the group rushes out of the mall and sees the two women being pushed into the back. Daryl's eyes finally find Lucy and they connect for a split second before the door is closed in front of them. The two men run to the drivers seat, start the truck and begin to take off.

"No!" both him and Glenn scream, attempting to take off from the group to follow the truck. Before either could get away, Rick grabs Daryl and Joey grabs Glenn.

"Let me go!" Glenn snarls at Joey, but Joey's tight grip was still around his waist. Walkers were coming. This was bad.

"I aint lettin' them take her again!" Daryl screams. Rick pulls him away.

"Daryl, you're attracting attention! We have to think-Daryl, calm down!" Joey had calmed Glenn down enough that he stopped his struggling, but the pained look was still there. "Daryl, we follow them. We'll get them back. Maggie and Lucy will be safe. We need to think rationally." Daryl finally stops struggling and glares at the ground, breaking out of Rick's grip.

"Then let's get goin'!" he shouts, killing a walker as it stumbled towards them. Glenn followed his lead while the rest of the group stares at the two. They had never seen them that angry.

"I can't believe this," Quinn mutters. Tara shakes her head, following the two boys.

"Either way, they'll be fine, trust me. Lucy knows her way around a guy. Let's go!" The group follows the two angry men into the truck they took and start it up, following the other truck at the speed of light. Daryl glared out the window as they did. All he saw was red. They were gonna end this.

Right here, and right now.

**~%~**

**I am so sorry I wasn't able to update sooner! I've been super busy with summer reading and this stupid math packet! Plus it took me FOREVER to write this chapter! **

**Review please? :) Luv ya!**


	22. Chapter 22

**So I've been working on this story all summer and I'm so proud of it! But sadly, the summer must come to an end, as school is staring :( But that does not mean this story is going to end! The updates might come a bit more infrequent, but they will still come, as i will have school work as well as studying to do as I want to do well this year. Just saying that quite quickly. **

**And now onto the reviewers! Thank you to the following people:**

DarylDixon'sLover

Kima Wolfwood

mrskaz453

HanDunxy

jeanf

**Thank you so much! And thank you for the new followers and favorites! Ya'll are amazing! Onto the story!**

**~%~**

Lucy didn't know what to do. Right now, all she could do was patiently sit next to Maggie with her hands tied and duck tape over her mouth. They had been driving for a long time now and had no idea where the hell they were going. Lucy thought Terminus was closer than this, but considering they had been on the road for nearly an hour she knew they were going somewhere else.

Somehow, Maggie had fallen asleep next to her, her eyes completely closed and her chest moving up slowly. Lucy had examined her body and sometime in the struggle they had had with the two men they had cut open a side of her body, a small gash that had now stopped bleeding, but was surely to get infected if it didn't get wrapped up soon. Maybe it was from the pain of it that she passed out.

"Aw fuck," she mumbles against the tape. She looks around the truck and sees a few of the other woman had passed out from the stress, but all the men stayed awake, as well as a few of the women who were still awake, somehow. To be honest Lucy didn't know how she was still awake. She was tired as hell but apparently her body wouldn't let her leave.

She moves her mouth slightly, darting out her tongue to wet the stickiness that kept the duck tape on her face. After a good portion of wetness all around the square piece of tape, she stretches her mouth and it finally comes off with a pop. She groans quietly and shakes her head, letting the piece of tape fall off her mouth and onto the truck's floor. She breaths a sigh of relief and looks around her.

"This sucks," she mutters. Getting to her feet slowly, she looks at the amount of people still awake. She counts about five, two women and three men. One of the men actually looks up and makes eye contact with her, and she sees that one of his eyes was brown and the other was gray. The corner of his right eye had bruising around it, and she noticed that his side was slightly bleeding.

His eyes travel downwards in a fast motion, silently telling her to try and remove the piece of tape from his mouth. She nods, and crawls over silently, much to the interest of the few people awake. As she approaches, she attaches her teeth to the end of it and rips it off.

"Ah, shit," the man mutters. Lucy grimaces.

"Sorry." He shrugs.

"It's fine. Just happy to have that off." She nods.

"How long have you been in here?" He sighs.

"For probably a day. Pissed them off about a deer. Took me and my group. Told them not to take them but they didn't listen." Lucy nods slightly. "Knowing these people, they don't take people just for shits and grins unless it's to eat them. What's your story?" She snickers slightly.

"I don't have any story with these people besides killing them to get my family back. Maggie over there does, I just arrived there to get her and my...boyfriend back." Lucy laughs internally at that. For some reason, that didn't seem to fit Daryl properly. Daryl wasn't the boyfriend type. He was the 'touch her and you die' type, and that word did not look good with him.

"Really?" She nods.

"Yup. I guess Daryl and Glenn pissed them off though," she mumbles, looking at the rest of the group. She turns back to the man quickly as a thought enters her mind. "Are you from New York?"

"Yeah, east side of Bronx." She smiles.

"No way. Harlem." His brow rises.

"Really?" he asks. She nods. "Wow, you don't look it right now." She chuckles.

"Yeah, really, it doesn't right now, does it? What's your name?"

"Fred." She smiles.

"Lucy. I'd shake your hand but, sorta can't." He laughs.

"Yeah, I can tell." The truck abruptly stops and Lucy flings forward near the door. The bang wakes up the whole entire vehicle and Maggie crawls over. Her brow furrows at the tape being removed. "Are you okay?!" Fred asks quickly. Lucy ncos, groaning slightly.

"Yeah...gonna bruise though." The back door opens and the two men from before aim their guns inside. The man that had been holding Maggie steps up and stares at Lucy's mouth, his brow furrowed.

"How the fuck did you get that off?" he asks. Lucy glares.

"None of your buisness." She was half expecting him to slap her again, but instead, he simply smirks and turns to the rest of the group, who had by now huddled all close together. The man looks over at Fred and his brow raises.

"You managed to get his off too. Wow. I'm impressed." Lucy just glares at him, keeping her mouth shut. He stares at the rest of the group with narrowed eyes. "Now, we didn't want to do this. Actually, we're quite peaceful, and we can work that in right now. The thing is, you give us what we want nice and quick, and we won't torture you...much. You make one sound, you're dead. One move, you're dead. Anything really that could jeopardize us, you're dead."

Lucy spares a glance at Maggie and sees her eyes were narrowed hatefully. Lucy didn't even know who the hell this guy was, but apparently Maggie did. The man turns to Lucy and Maggie, and spares a quick glance at Fred.

"You, you, and you," he says, pointing to each of them individually. "You three are coming with me. The rest, you're going with these men. Come on." Maggie and Lucy share a quick slightly nervous glance and Lucy looks to Fred, but he kept his eyes in front of him, glaring at the man. Lucy follows him out and Maggie follows behind her. As she looks behind her she sees all the people from before get rushed into a big building, and from what she could tell, it seemed to be an old hospital.

"Fuck," she mutters.

"Keep moving!" the man exclaims. Lucy bites her lip. She was fucked. So fucked.

**~%~**

Sooner or later, they had been rushed into this dark room, which seemed to be an old waiting area for people who wanted to see their family members. When they stopped, the man turns around and finally undoes the rope around all three of the hostages. Lucy glares at him while he did it. He didn't seem fazed though.

"Look. Lucy's your name?" Her brow furrows.

"How do you-"

"Don't even ask. Daryl? You know, Dixon? He talked about you when we questioned your group. Wouldn't shut up. Did some stuff, so we decided to take something of his. As well as Glenn, with Maggie. Pleasure to see you again." Maggie sneers at him, but it disappeared the moment he ripped off the duct tape.

"God-Fuck," she growls out at the sting of it being ripped. The man steps back and goes to Fred, untying his binds.

"I don't see why I'm here. All I wanted was the deer." The man chuckles.

"That's it. You didn't let us have it. And you fought against us, same with everyone else in your group, but that's not why we're here right now." He moves away and turns to the three of them, all of which were glaring at him. "The reason why the three of you are here now is because I see something great, and you all could help us improve greatly, but you need to follow orders, and you need to obey."

"Fuck n-"

"Fine," Lucy mutters. Maggie and Fred look at her like she's crazy, but Lucy stares at him full on. "We'll obey. Just...don't do anything to the other people. They don't deserve it." The man smiles slightly.

"Well, I'm surprised you and Maggie aren't apart of them. After that little stunt you pulled back at Terminus, we lost the train station as well as any other safe area around there. Brought in biters from all around. We found this place and in accord to staying here we had to follow some rules, but after a while they let us track you down. About time we were able to find you. Hospital doesn't mind though. These people are absolutely crazy, isn't that great?"

"Yeah, perfect," Lucy mumbles. The man walks over to a closet near the end of the room and grabs three sets of clothes from them. Walking over, he hands one to each person. Lucy took a closer look at the clothes and saw that it was hospital clothes, stuff nurses would wear.

"You are to change into these as quick as possible and then report to the middle of the hospital. From there, you'll receive your orders." The man looks Lucy up and down for a quick second and she tries her hardest not to squirm. "Daryl chose a good one," he mumbles. "Hurry up!" He marches towards the door and leaves, slamming it behind him. All three of the people are quiet before Fred breaks the silence.

"I feel like I'm going to prison."

"Why the fuck would you say that?!" Maggie exclaims. "I don't wanna follow anything that asshole says!"

"And you think I want to?!" Lucy snaps back. "I don't even know the bastards name but I'm not gonna follow him."

"What is his name anyway?" Fred asks, already taking off his shirt. Maggie looks away.

"Gareth. He was one of the people at Terminus. He...he was terrible. Now he's working with these psychos. Why would you say that?" she repeats.

"One, if I revolted he probably would have shot us. Remember, they took our weapons. Two, we need to think of this rationally, plan to get our way out of here, and if that means following a few of their rules for a little while, then Jesus we're gonna do it. I'm not about to get killed by some crazy bastard when I have a four year old kid waiting for me and a girl who is turning twenty five soon!"

Maggie rolls her eyes at this and turns to Fred. "Sorry about this crazy person. Don't believe we've met yet."

"Fred."

"Maggie," she sighs, shaking her head and placing the nursing shirt over her tank top. "I can't believe we're doing this." Lucy bites her lips as she places the boots on her feet.

"Yeah, but we'll get out soon. I'm pretty sure the group is busting their asses to try and find us right now."

**~%~**

They had gotten to the middle of the hospital sooner or later, and had been taken into rooms in an out of the day. As they were transferred, they heard screaming, tearing, pleading and anything worse someone could possibly think of. The screams and sobs would haunt all of their minds, but when they heard a little girl scream, they all stopped and listened before they were forcefully moved to another room.

They looked all around them as they travelled in the hallways, trying to find a good way out, but they didn't seem to have any, to no avail. Looked like they would be staying there for a little more than one day.

Some of the stuff they had to do was absolutely disgusting. When people were suffering, practically dying on the table, begging to be let go, they had to try and keep them alive. Some people had bites on their arms or legs and they had to chop them off to try and prevent the illness from spreading, even though half the time the blood loss killed them and the bite didn't.

And the amount of blood that would come out did not please Lucy one bit. She may like horror movies, but when it came to the real thing, she was an absolute pussy. She hated human blood, even if she had killed people in the past with a gun. When it spread all on her, she felt like she was actually the murderer and not doing it for the greater good.

When they had finally gotten a break after probably a twelve hour shift of doing the same blood work over and over again, Fred had made it clear how he felt, as he stumbled over to the nearest garbage can and threw up. Maggie looked like she was holding it in as well, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed over her stomach. Lucy sat against the wall opposite of them, her head in her hands, trying to stop the headache that was overcoming her head.

"I don't think I've ever seen that much blood in a single day, not even when I'm facing all the walkers," Maggie shivers out, staring at the ground to control her own stomach. Fred kept going.

"I grew up in Harlem. I've seen some shit. I even grew up in an abusive household, and I have never been more sick in my life than right here." She looks up from her hands and sighs when she sees Fred still heaving out his empty stomach. Rising, she walks over and rubs his back slightly. "Doesn't help that they haven't give us a lick of food to eat."

"I think they're trying to starve us," Maggie mumbles. Fred finally stops and looks up, now fully de-energized.

"This fucking sucks," he groans quietly.

"Well since we have a break, maybe we can find-"

"Maggie?" a soft voice whispers unbelievable. Maggie's and Lucy's heads turn towards the voice and their eyes widen. There was Beth, standing there in the same clothes they wore, blood all over her front shirt and some in her hair, a knife in another one of her hands, the same knives they had been using for the past twelve hours.

"Beth!" Maggie exclaims, running over to her younger sister. They meet in the middle while Lucy stares at her in disbelief. After words exchanged between the two, Beth turns to Lucy and smiles.

"Lucy," she laughs slightly. Lucy breaks out of her trance and runs over to her, wrapping her arms around her small waist and pulling her close. Beth laughs and hugs her back, placing her knife quickly back in her belt.

"Jesus, why are you here?!" Lucy whispers fiercely. "This place is insane!" Beth shakes her head.

"I'll explain everything later! There are cameras hooked up everywhere in this shit hole, so we need to talk when all of them are down and everyone's asleep." Maggie's brow raises at the language, but Lucy simply smirks. The girl had been with Daryl for a little while. You don't spend time with him without picking up a mouth.

"Fine...but is there some sort of food station around here that we can eat at? I'm fucking starving." Beth nods.

"That's where I was going right now." She turns to Fred, who was still holding onto the trash can, his knuckle turning white. Her brow furrows. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just...sick." Beth smiles softly, going over to him.

"yeah, everyone is. Especially here. C'mon, let's get you some food. Follow me guys."

**~%~**

After a short dinner break and more blood, they had all somehow made it through the day still alive, their clothes now covered in the red substance from head to toe. Beth had insisted to Gareth on taking the new small group to their quarters, and Gareth had let her go. Looked like Beth had proved herself there for people to trust her with her judgement. Instead of taking them to where they were supposed to go, Beth led them to an outdated part of the hospital where no one else seemed to be.

"This was where we had been meeting for the past couple of weeks," she whispers as they walk into the room. "It's far away, and there's no cameras to see or hear us."

Lucy looks around the small room as Maggie and Fred follow close behind her. There were a total of seven people excluding them. There was a young couple that was holding a small child close to them, two teens who looked to be twins, a black man that seemed to be Beth's age, and a little kid who was all by himself, maybe eleven or twelve. The kid sort of reminded her of Harry Potter.

"Who are they?" the woman from the couple asks.

"Family. Don't worry, they're fine. They're here to help us get out."

"Good, because we gotta," the black guy states quietly.

"We're still waiting until the morning to put everything into process right?" one of the twins asks. Beth nods.

"As soon as we explain everything to these three." Maggie comes next to her sister with a furrowed brow.

"You have a plan to get out?" Beth nods.

"There's no way we're staying here. The people are insane, and all of us in here want out. We've been coming up with this for the past two weeks, but we've been missing a good key ingredient to it. I was going to be it but if Lucy can...that would be amazing." Lucy's brow furrows.

"Beth..." The blonde turns to the group.

"We're gonna have to make this quick because we need to get up bright and early. Jack, details please." The black man-known as Jack now-steps up to the three.

"Okay, so I've been working in the camera room for the past couple of weeks, and I've figured out where exactly the cameras are and when they go on. At approximately seven am the cameras in the east end turn on and at approximately seven fifteen am, the west end ones go on. Right now, we're in the east end. The doors to get outside are opened at seven ten. We'd need a distraction to get past them...and that's where Beth would come in, but since Lucy's here-"

"Okay, what am I being forced into?" she interrupts, her arms crossing. Beth steps up.

"This man in there...his name's Louie." Lucy's eyes widen.

"Louie?" she exclaims, probably loud enough for the rest of the hospital to hear. Beth covers her mouth.

"Be quiet!" she whispers fiercely. Lucy removes her arm and glares at her.

"Beth, what is happening?!"

"Louie talked about a girl named Lucy, how she was a good...you know what. He described you, Lucy. But the main thing is, he's very frustrated, no sex and all that, and he mans the camera room, so-"

"No, no no no, I am not having sex with him Beth!"

"We're not asking that," one of the twins say, the girl. "We know that if he sees you he'll forget the cameras and talk to you, and you could, maybe I dunno, seduce him or something to keep him away. After we pass the cameras and get to the room you can do whatever you want with him. Kill him, tie him up, we don't care, but it has to be fast because we're killing the lights and the cameras so we can make a quick escape."

Lucy stares down at the ground before sighing. She knew Beth didn't know who he was but if it meant getting the hell out of here and back to Daryl and her family then she was gonna do it.

"Fine," she mutters. "When do I have to do this? And what are you doing while I do this?"

"We're getting guns and ammo. Gotta be prepared." This was Jack again. Lucy nods.

"Fine. We get it. Can we try to get some sleep? Before I change my mind."

**~%~**

Lucy tried. She tried so hard to get to sleep. Closing her eyes so many fucking times, thinking of happy things, trying to remember her daughter anything, but the fact that she was seeing Louie tomorrow just kept her awake and dreading it. She was scared, confused, and just plain pissed off at this point. Out of all the people she had met, he was the first one on her list that she wanted to be dead in this world.

Guess assholes get to survive while the good people die.

She best up from her spot in the room and looks around. Everyone else seemed to have fallen asleep. Even Maggie had somehow slipped off and was now happily lying on the floor, her eyes shut. Fred, who had been heaving all day, was asleep. The little kid was asleep.

Everyone was asleep, except for her.

How fucking great was that?

She sighs and stands up. Looking over at the floor length windows, she sees that there was indeed a balcony that led outside. Walking over quietly she opens the door and steps outside. The warm nightly breeze blows onto her as she steps up to the guard rails and leans on them. She lets out a heavy sigh and looks out into the forest, her arms holding herself close to her body.

She wondered what the mill group was doing right now. She knew deep down they were looking for them, but right now at probably twelve at night, none of them were awake. They were all asleep. Maybe even Daryl was. Heaven knows that she wasn't right now.

"Hey," she hears behind her. Lucy turns her head and sees Beth walking outside. Lucy's raises an eyebrow.

"I thought you were sleeping." She shrugs.

"I woke up and saw you. What you doing awake?" Lucy sighs, looking back out.

"Can't sleep," she mumbles. Beth walks next to her and smiles slightly.

"Jitters?" Lucy looks at Beth, her eyes tired.

"Beth, you don't know who Louie is to me, right?" Beth's brow furrows.

"Who is he?" Lucy looks back out into the forest and sighs.

"Sam is my kid, but...he caused it and..." Her voice trailed off after that, her eyes traveling down to the ground. Beth's eyes widen and her hands go to her mouth.

"Lucy, I...I didn't know. If you don't I'll do-"

"No!" Lucy interrupts. "I'll...I'll do it. It's just...weird. You know? I'm gonna beat the shit out of him," she chuckles. "I'm gonna fucking kill him."

"Well, make it quick because we need to get out." Lucy nods, shaking her head.

"I wonder what they're doing right now," she says. Beth crosses her arms.

"I know Daryl's probably tearing up the planet trying to look for you." Lucy raises an eyebrow at her again.

"You think?" Beth snorts.

"Hell yeah. Every single moment I was with him the one person he was always looking for was you and Sam. For a moment, he didn't really believe anyone made it out, but I changed that. After that, he was always trying to find you and her. It was amazing how much he cared about you guys."

_And we weren't even together at that point _Lucy thinks happily.

"Really?"

"Yeah. When we talked about people he would talk about you, and how he was actually thinking of teaching Sammy how to shoot a gun." Lucy scoffs.

"Yeah, in his fucking dreams. There's no way my four year old is handling a gun. That's crazy." She looks down at her feet and sighs. "I'm glad your okay. What happened?"

"Well, Daryl and I were in an old funeral home when a herd of walkers came through. He told me to go out to the road and wait, but some guy knocked me out and took me away before he could get to the road. Turns out the guy was just trying to save me, and his name was Father Gabriel. He was a priest, but also a bit..fucked up. He says that all the bad people who deserve to be in hell are the people who are still on this earth and we are being payed for our sins or whatever. Then we were found by these people and he was murdered. Kept me because I'm 'pretty' but I haven't let them touch me."

"Good."

"Right? So me and these people have been trying to get out of here for a while, but now with you here, it might be perfect." Lucy smiles slightly.

"As long as we get out, I'm fine." Beth smiles back.

"We will." Lucy looks inside and her brow furrows at the boy.

"Who is he?" Beth frowns.

"Henry. Apparently he almost became dinner at Terminus but when they got attacked they brought him. He's resourceful, but he's a bit weak too. I think he'll be fine, though. He knows how to shoot a gun so that's all that matters right now." Beth turns to Lucy and nods towards the door. "Come on. Let's get some sleep."

**~%~**

Across from where the two girls were, the mill group sat around a fire, all of them awake, much the opposite to what Lucy had thought they were doing. Rick had somehow managed to calm Glenn down when they couldn't find the truck, but Daryl seemed like a lost cause. He just sat far away from the group with his back turned away from them. He had been quiet since they couldn't find the tracks.

Quinn, Joey and Tara all stayed close together, praying to God that Lucy was okay. They were trying to keep things light, telling funny stories to keep the group going, but some people just weren't having it, ergo, Daryl.

Glenn was even listening to some of the stories and spared a chuckle now and then, and everyone knew how much he loved Maggie. After finally having enough, Rick stands up and walks quietly over to Daryl, expecting him to at least move his head to see who was approaching him. But as he sat down next to the younger man, he didn't do anything. Not even look up.

"Daryl, have you even eaten yet?" The man shakes his head, his messy hair coming in front of his eyes. "You should...we need as much strength as possible."

"I aint eatin' until we find her," was his gruff reply. Rick sighs.

"Daryl, I think she's fine."

"That's the point Rick. Ya think. Ya don't know. Why should I be eatin' when she might be getting tortured right now? All because I wasn't with her. If I was there maybe...Jesus, man." Rick shakes his head.

"Daryl, you have to stop blaming yourself for everything that happens to someone. It's not your fault. This is completely everyone's fault that we weren't there. But we'll fine them, and they'll be alive. Right now, you need to eat and sleep. We're gonna find her and Maggie." Daryl finally looks up and sighs.

"Fine. Don't expect me to laugh or nothin'."

**~%~**

The next morning, everyone in the hospital woke up bright and early, while Lucy was biting her lip. Maggie and Fred stuck to the people's sides and Lucy was near the mirror, trying to at least make herself look presentable. Or trying to make herself look sexy enough to distract Louie.

"How do I know when you guys are done?" Lucy asks quickly. Beth nods towards the broken camera in the room.

"Once the camera screens go off, then you can take off. We just need to get the hell out of here." Lucy nods and goes to the door. "Seven. Lucy, good luck."

"Yeah," she mumbles, leaving the room and closing the door behind her. She walks silently down the hallways, avoiding the areas where there were cameras as Beth had informed her the night before. As she makes her way to the camera room, she hears the screams and shuts her eyes tightly every few seconds, trying to drain them out. She was going to get out. She just needed to do this.

She finally arrives and peeks inside. There was Louie, leaning over the desk that held all the cameras. Taking a deep breath, and saying a quick prayer, she goes in. The man looks up and his brow furrows.

"What the hell are you doing? You're out of line!" She bites her lip.

"You don't remember me?" she whispers. His brow furrows as she comes closer.

"Lu..Lucy?" he questions, his eyes widening. She nods, pulling her shirt over her head, showing off her white tank top. If anything, they seem to widen even more. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees the group moving quickly, but since Louie was being distracted by her, he didn't notice a thing.

"Yeah...I remember that day," she says quietly, walking up to him. She places her hands on his shoulders and slowly travels them down. _Washing my hands like a bitch later. _"You felt so good in me...so big and...filling. I never thought I'd see you again. You're even more handsomer now then you were then." _BLEH._

"Well...I wouldn't brag," he taunts slightly. Her hands go under his shirt and she makes them go upward.

"I'm so happy you're here...maybe we can continue what we didn't finish last time." _Oh he finished, just never gave me the option. _

"I wouldn't mind...wait," he states as she starts to kiss down his neck. "You...your friend punched me and-"

The lights suddenly snap off and Lucy pushes him off her harshly, sending him spiraling back into the counter with all the camera screens and computers. She punches him in the face first, twice, three times, before she knees him in the groin and sends him to the ground in a heap. As soon as he falls she kicks him upside the head, him letting out a defining yell.

"You ruined my life!" she screams at him, punching him once again. "You fucking dirty asshole. Taking advantage of a young girl you fucker!" Punch after punch, her anger just seemed to intensify, not leave. She had been waiting ages to do this, and she didn't want to stop.

_You have to be quick._

Beth's voice rang in her head and she heard the voices outside clamoring as well. She needed to get out. She throws one last punch and sees she had plenty messed up his face. Reaching down, she takes his knife and his pistol and glares. Taking the sharp end of the knife, she carves something into his arm, letting him scream. At one point, a few guards had come in, but she had ended their life then and there with a quick shot to the head.

When she was done, it had probably only been a few minutes, and the word 'Rapist' was carved into his right arm, so everyone knew who he was.

"You make me sick," she spits at him, and then physically spits on his face. He groans as she leaves the room, running as the alarms finally started. She hears the gunshots and the yelling, and moving her feet quickly, she aims her gun as she makes her way to the exits. The first person she sees is Henry, and he had just run out of bullets. A man was about to end his life as Lucy shot a bullet into his head.

Henry looks up and Lucy nods forwards. "Go! I'll cover you!" The kids nods and without another thought goes behind her. They rush through the halls as quick as possible, and finally, Lucy hears Beth, Maggie, and Fred's voice yelling and hear all their weapons going off. Lucy runs into the closest room and sees the door opened, but people fighting them off. She shoots all the guards in the head from behind and quickly reloads. All heads turn to her.

She opens her mouth to speak but the sound of more guards rushing towards them stop the voice from coming out. "Go!" she screams. The group doesn't wait and they all run out, ignoring the running behind them. Beth and Lucy run close together.

"They'll get us if we don't get out of here quick enough!" Beth exclaims. "We need something!" Lucy looks over and her eyes light up.

"Everyone! Jump in the truck!" she exclaims. Lucy, Beth, and Maggie jump into the front seat where true drivers would be and the rest jump into the back. The guards come to the back before they close it and begin to climb on. She throws her gun back. "Henry, shoot!"

The boy nods and grabs the gun. One after one with the others, he shoots the guards down, and Fred along with Jack jumps up and pulls the door down, trapping the guards outside.

"Step on it!" Both Beth and Lucy yell. Maggie hits the peddle, and the truck speeds off with a _screech, _and leaves the hospital in their dust. All three of the girls smile as the hospital goes out of sight as well as the guards. They cheer as it finally disappears.

"Ah, fuck yeah!" Jack screams as they leave. Everyone laughs. They were free.

At least for now.

**~%~**

That night, all of them sat around the a fire, their truck a few yards away. There had been some boxes of food within the truck's back, and now they were cooking them away. Maggie and Lucy had told them about the mill, and how protected the place is. The whole group had agreed with going back there and looking for the place tomorrow, and Henry seemed really happy that he finally had someplace good to go to.

Lucy had to admit that the kid seemed very tired and just done with the world. The older woman had even gone over at one point in the night and talked to him.

"So," she started as the other's ate. "How long have you been alone?"

"A few months. My parents were killed by the Terminus people, and they kept me. They took in a little girl at one point and tortured her...did stuff to her and I tried to stop it but I couldn't. They shot me. I actually have a scar on my leg from where they did." He rolls up his jeans and Lucy sees a small circular scar where the skin had been messily stitched.

"Looks like it hurt."

"Like hell." Lucy smirks at the language. "But I'm fine now. Surviving. Just want real...I dunno."

"Food?" Lucy finishes. He nods.

"Like chicken, or steak." Lucy chuckles.

"I think we can maybe arrange that." His eyes widen.

"Really?"

"Hell yeah." Henry smiles and nods his shaggy black hair, looking back down at the can of food in his hands. It had been like that for the rest of the night. The people talking, chatting, trying to keep hopes high. Few times they had shared a good couple of laughs, especially when Lucy would talk about college. It was something that kept them going even as the night got colder.

At one point, most of the people had passed out, and Lucy was awake, keeping watch for any signs of the hospital people that might have followed them. Henry stayed close to her as Beth, Maggie and Fred slept some years away, sleeping soundly. Lucy almost felt herself falling asleep but that was before she heard a twig snap.

She jumps up from her spot and aims her gun. She sees some sort of group in the distance, their silhouettes standing out in the dark night.

"Stop there!" she yells. Half the group wakes up and aims their weapons at her voice yelling. Beth was up in a matter of seconds. "Don't take another step!"

"Lucy?!" a voice yells. Lucy nearly drops her gun. Quinn rushes through the people and runs into Lucy's arms. "Jesus, never do that again!" Lucy smiles happily and hugs her back.

"Lucy?" Maggie and Beth state. The two come out of the shadows and the group sees the blonde girl next to her sister. Beth smiles as she sees the group. "You guys are okay."

"Us? Ya look like you've seen some shit," Daryl states quietly, coming over and giving the blond girl a surprising hug. Everyone was surprised by this except for Maggie and Lucy. When the two separate Beth starts to talk to the group as Quinn's walkie goes off. It was coming from the mill. Quinn sighs and takes it out from her belt.

"You do that again and I swear to God I will kill you," Quinn growls at Lucy. Lucy laughs and lets her talk. She looks over and sees that Maggie had found Glenn and the two were happily reuniting, Lucy sure that Glenn was going off about how she should have someone with them.

Before she even began to think about turning around, she's physically turned around by Daryl, and his lips were on hers in a matter of seconds. She kisses back just as passionately as he was. He bit her bottom lip and she gasped, and he took the opportunity to slip his tongue inside her mouth. She smiles slightly as they fought, but ultimately he won in the end, and he was the one to pull back, laying his forehead against hers.

"Fuck, Lucy. Don't do that ever again." The rest of the group woke up and came over to Lucy's old group, most of them introducing themselves. Henry stood back and watched them slightly.

"Didn't mean to get taken," she chuckles softly. He gives her another quick peck and pulls back.

"Fucking crazy," he mumbles. He looks down and sees all the blood on her shirt. "What the fuck is that?"

"Blood." she replies.

"Is it...yers?" She shakes her head.

"The place I was taken...it was bad. But I even saw...my old friend there." His brow furrows at this, but she gestures downwards at her lower areas and he feels his face heat up in anger.

"He was there?" he starts out angrily, his voice barely above a whisper. She could tell he was gonna get upset about this so she uses her free hand that he wasn't grasping and cups his cheek in her hands.

"Hey, it's fine. I gave him a beating. Don't know if he's still alive or not, but I know that he can't walk right now." He looks down at the ground and sighs.

"Would've kill 'im," he mumbles. She smiles softly.

"I know you would."

"Lucy?" she hears from behind the trees. Lucy and Daryl's head turns towards the tree and they see Henry come out, his black hair hanging in his face.

"I thought you were asleep, Henry," she states.

"All the yelling woke me up." Daryl lets go of Lucy and turns to the boy.

"Henry?" he asks quietly. He nods, his brow furrowed. "Ya know a girl name Lily?" His eyes widen.

"Yeah...is she-"

"She's fine, kid," he states. "Ya tried to help her. She wanted to know if ya were okay." Henry smiles.

"I am. She's okay? Really?" he asks. Daryl nods, trying to hide the smile that was attempting to break free at the sound of the boys concern.

"Yeah, she is." Lucy's brow furrows at this.

"Lily talked about him?" Daryl nods.

"When I was talkin' to her, she mentioned a kid named Henry helping her, but he got shot." Lily's brow furrows.

"Wow," she smiles slightly, looking at Henry. "Small world."

"Come the FUCK ON!"

All heads turn to Quinn as she places her walkie back in her belt angrily, stomping over to the group. Her eyes were narrowed and her hands were clenched. She turns to Joey, Tara, Lucy and the rest of the group, her face becoming a dark shade of red.

"Carol escaped."

Some people gasped, some people cursed, while a few didn't know who the hell Carol was. Lucy just backed up slightly, her eyes wide.

It was just one thing after another, wasn't it?

**~%~**

**Review please? :) Luv ya! **

**Schools starting tomorrow, but I'm not gonna stop writing! Looking forward to writing the next couple of chapters! :)**


	23. Chapter 23

**School year looks to be good. Got really good teachers, and my physics teacher is hot as hell, so I'll be doing fine in that class. This story...I don't know how long it'll keep going because I still have a lot of ideas, one of which is going to start happening probably in the next chapter, but I'll keep it going as long as I see fit :) **

**Thank you to the following amazing people for reviewing!**

DarylDixon'sLover

jeanf

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**You guys are awesome! And thank you to the new followers and favorites! All of you are amazing too!**

**~%~**

Lucy sat by herself a little off from the group when almost everyone had fallen asleep, her legs pulled up to her chest and her arms wrapped around them, with her head laying upon her knees. After Quinn had told them that Carol had escaped, all hell broke loose. Quinn and Daryl were furious and tried to get back in contact with the mill, demanding to know what the fuck had happened.

That had been unsuccessful and stress had run high in the group, very high. Henry and the couples little girl had backed away from the yelling adults, trying to get as far from the line of fire. Lucy knew that both Quinn and Daryl agreed silently that they both wanted Carol to suffer, even if they didn't actually talk about it. They were alike like that. Lucy had to calm Daryl down and Tara had to with Quinn.

It seemed never ending with those two.

Lucy loved them both. So much. More than she ever loved anyone else. Both of them were high up on the list with Sam. But sometimes their temper got the best of them, and it ended either with a fight, or both stomping off as if they hadn't gotten their way.

Luckily today, it had been the latter rather than the first.

Afterwards, everyone's energy seemed to drain from that, so Lucy invited them back to the campfire and she reunited with all of the group to calm things down. She told them about the hospital, and how they found Beth. Lucy also had to explain to the nineteen year old who exactly Lily was and what happened to her, much to Beth's surprise and disgust.

'Who could do that to a young girl?' she had said, her head hung low. Lucy had shrugged. She didn't know either.

After explaining everything, they all planned out a way to get back to the mill. The only people who weren't there were Quinn and Daryl, who were still reeling from the news. Lucy at least knew where Quinn went, the lone truck they took to escape form the hospital. She had taken a place in the back, and by now she was fast asleep with the few others who took sanctuary in the vehicle.

Daryl she couldn't really see. He was either blowing off steam somewhere where she couldn't see him or went hunting. Either way, she knew somehow he was getting his anger out. She was just mad and shocked. She thought they had tied her down yet she still got loose. How that happened she still had no clue. All she knew was that when they got back they would be protecting that place like a mother fucker.

Now, she sat near the edge of the forest, some ways off from the group, though the campfire was still in sight, even if it was just a little light in the darkness. Where she was seemed to be sort of a hilly area, and she was at the edge of one right now, because if she moved one step she would fall down it. The bright light from the moon shone over her as she brushed back stray pieces of her dark brown hair.

She was tired, but her body wasn't letting her go to sleep.

Basically everyone was asleep behind her, just like the day before. Her mind was going, her body was going, and her imagination was flowing with plenty of ways Carol was probably going to murder her. Every single bit of stress hormones she had in her body was going off right now and she couldn't shut down.

Even Henry was freaking asleep and he was fucking eleven.

She sighs, looking down at her feet. She was fucked up, and she knew it. She just couldn't get those screams out of her head. How she just left the people who were being tortured at the hospital. She could have brought them. They could have been saved.

"Yer still up?" she hears from behind her. Spinning around, she sees Daryl was back, his crossbow in his hands and a curious expression on his face. She turns away, looking back out.

"Can't sleep." He nods and sits next to her on the ground, placing his crossbow next to him. Looking over, he sees the tired expression on her face but also the hint of fear.

"Whatcha scared about?" he asks softly. She exhales slowly, facing him.

"What do you think?" she whispers, her arms tightening around her legs. "That...pyscho is out because people didn't keep watch, and now she's probably out there planning my death. We're lucky she didn't kill Sam when she got out. Probably didn't have any time."

"Even if she is doin' that she aint gonna get anywhere near us without me there," he replies, looking back out into forest. She sighs, shaking her head.

"Daryl, you can't always be there. No matter how much you want to be and how much you say you will, you can't. There will be times when I'm alone and maybe have nothing but myself to protect me." Daryl turns back to her and she sees in the moon light that his eyes were narrowed.

"So ya don't trust me enough that I'm gonna be there?" She hears the anger in his voice and she feels herself roll her eyes. He was always so defensive sometimes.

"No," she says sternly. "Daryl, I love you, so fucking much. I trust you with my life, but I'm being a realist here. I know how to keep myself alive, but Carol's out there, and she's either planning on what she's gonna do to me or already on her way to find me. Or she's going to get Sam or whoever...I'm just...nervous, okay? You don't need to get defensive because It's just my fucked up brain."

He looks away at that and sighs slightly. "Just pissed at myself," he mutters angrily. Her brow furrows.

"Why on earth are you mad?"

"Cause I wasn't fucking there," he mumbles, his voice coming out in a distinct spit tone. "Doing something stupid for one second and ya get taken. I'm such a fucking idiot." She comes closer to him and moves her body, positioning herself in front of him, nearly hanging off the edge of one of the hills. Instinctively, his arms reach out and grab her, bringing her away from possibly falling on her ass. "Jesus, ya tryin' to get killed?"

"What were you doing?" she asks softly. For a moment he wondered what she was talking about until he realized she was asking what he had been doing in the mall when she was taken. There was no way in hell he was telling her he had been looking for a ring to give her, or that he had one in his pocket right now. It just wasn't happening.

"Was nothin'," he mutters. "Just...somethin'. Ain't nothin' ya need to know." Her eyes narrow slightly.

"Daryl, what was it?" Before he could reply, she adds onto her question. "I'm not taking no for an answer, Daryl." He stares at her for a second before sighing, looking down at the ground for a second before closing his eyes tightly and glancing back up.

"I was...I was lookin' for one of these." He reaches into his pocket and Lucy's eyes follows his movements. What was in his hand was grasped tightly, so she still couldn't see what on earth it was. He gingerly takes one of her hands and outstretched her hand. He places his hand over hers and gently places the item in her palm and encloses her fingers around it. She feels that it was a square object.

Opening her fingers, her eyes widen and she snaps her head up to look at him, but finds that he was staring down at the ground.

"Daryl..." she whispers.

"I ain't too good with this shit," he murmurs. "Hell...I've never been good with that stuff until I met ya and Sam. After everythin' that's happened, I guess I sort of just wanted to try somethin'...or like ya said, have a bit of normalcy in this fucked up world. I know it's stupid-" She cuts him off by wrapping her arms around him and pulls him close, planting her lips on his.

His arms wrap around her waist, ignoring what he was about to say and pulls her onto his lap. She wraps her legs around his waist in a passionate moment, but realizes that she was only yards away from the group. They couldn't do this here. Pulling back, she leans her forehead against his and smiles as their breathing slows down.

"That's not stupid," she chuckles softly. "Not at all." She glances at the box in her hand and smiles at him. "Mind putting it on me?" He nods slightly and takes the box from her. She watches as his fingers flip the box open and he takes out a ring, one that looked to be perfectly sized for her. He slips it on with ease and she simply keeps her smile on her face. He pulls his hand back from hers and trills it lightly down her arm, sending chills up her spine.

"It really aint stupid?" he mumbles, looking up into her smiling face. She chuckles.

"No, it's not. It's actually very sweet that you're making an effort for me. I'm not really worth-" This time he cuts her off, bringing her closer to him, if possible. Their lips move in synch, and Lucy thought deep down that they were meant to be together. It was cheesy, and silly, but for once she really did believe it.

"Yer worth it," he murmurs when he pulls back. "Every time." She smiles slightly, glancing down at his pockets. In his other he sees something else that was ovular shaped. Her brow furrows.

"What's that?" she asks quietly. He looks down at where she was pointing and feels his cheeks redden slightly.

"Uh...Lily's got some sort of flu virus, so I picked up some medicine for her," he mutters, and she could see he was clearly embarrassed at the fact. Smiling, she leans down and pecks his lips again.

"You're sweet," she says when she pulls back. He smiles slightly, a rare sight that she usually saw. His eyes move to the bloodied nurse shirt and he looks under it slightly.

"That shit's all fucked up. Got anything under there?" She nods but before she could ask why, his hands remove the shirt in the blink of an eye, exposing her white tank top to the chilly night air. "Didn't like lookin' at it," was his reply. She snickers.

"I can tell." Looking back over to the group, a sigh escapes her lips when she sees Henry lying down on the ground, completely passed out. "I feel terrible for him. He lost both his parents in this shit storm and got the crap beaten out of him. He really try to protect Lily?" Daryl nods.

"That's what the girl says. This kid obviously knows who Lily is, so I'm guessing it's the truth." She nods, still looking off at the group.

"Well, they all seem nice. The twins get along real well, better than most brothers and sisters. Learned their names were Mila and Nico. What interesting names. The couple's the Smiths, Kevin and Maya. Quite the cuties. Little girl they have is Mika. Jack, the black guy, he's funny as hell. Fred was the first guy I talked to before, and he's super nice. Weird thing is he has two different eye colors. Sort of cool but-what's wrong?"

His grip had tightened around her, almost bruising, and his eyes were shut in an angrily way. Her head tilts.

"Daryl, what's going on? Are you in pain?"

"I'm gonna kill that motherfucker," he growls, suddenly beginning to stand up. Her brow furrows and she pushes him down with all the strength she could muster-which was actually a lot compared to her size-and stares at him.

"Daryl, talk to me!" she whispers fiercely.

"Lucy, I told ya about this!" he snaps quietly. "The guy who raped Lily had two different colored eyes! How many people are like that out here?!" Instantly she shakes her head.

"No. Fred would never do that, he's too sweet."

"How the hell do ya know?! Ya barely knew him for a day!"

"I just do!" she snaps. "Okay? Did she say what the guys colors were?"

"She said he had dark brown and dark green," he mumbles, still glaring at Fred's sleeping form. She shakes her head.

"It's not Fred. One of them is brown, but the other is gray. He didn't do anything. He's safe, Daryl. It's not him." Daryl still kept his eyes glued to the man as Lucy tried to break him away. It took her at least a minute to get his attention back, and that only happened when she started to kiss down his neck slowly. Even then, she had to whisper in his ear to break his gaze away. "Daryl baby, come on. Let it go. He didn't do it. He's safe."

"Better stop before I do somethin' with that tongue," he growls slightly, finally turning his head to meet hers. She doesn't respond, instead takes the opportunity to crash her lips to his and slip her tongue inside. His meets her as their kissing grows. She pulls back and smirks at him slightly.

"Not here," she whispers. "And not now. We need sleep." He instead moves his head down to her neck and bites down slightly. Against her better judgment, and her own will, she lets out a slightly muffled moan as she burry's her face into his shoulder. "Daryl," she grinds out. "Not now."

"Mouth says no, but yer body says yes," he chuckles, trailing his way up her neck. She bites her lip as she fights off another moan, but when he bites a sensitive spot that was between her neck and her ear, it comes out, louder than she wants it to be. It stung slightly, but not even a moment later he swivels his tongue around the now very sensitive area, and she moans into his shoulder again, this time to muffle the sound again.

"Daryl," she groans. He ignores what she was saying, now placing his hands underneath her shirt and slowly rubbing them up her smooth and tone stomach, his hands reaching around the fabric that covered her breasts. Reaching under, he gently cups them in his hands and rubs his fingers over the smooth skin. His thumb flicks over her nipples one by one, slowly, almost tortuously, as he continued his assault on her neck, all while she dug her fingers sharply into his still clothed back, biting her lip so hard that she knew blood was being drawn.

Thought her mind kept saying _Tell him to stop, Lucy! There's a fucking eleven year old kid near you! As well as the rest of your group! _But apparently, her body had a different plan in mind. Her eyes squeezed shut and her nails dug deeper, but it was like her body had a mind of it's own. As soon as she felt the hardness pressing into her, it was like she was on autopilot, and her hips starting grinding into his. Both moan out at the sudden pleasure that racks through their veins as she started to move. _Ah, fuck me._

"More," she pants.

That seemed to flip a switch inside the man and he lifted her up in his arms, his mouth now latched onto hers, and he carried her away from the camp. She sighed inwardly. _Thank God. I would have exploded. _

When they had gotten far enough, he lays her gently down on the ground and immediately pulls off her tank top, revealing her lacy black bra that she had placed on a few days earlier. He growls slightly at her tan little body lying out in front of him, willingly letting him do whatever he wanted to do. She wraps her arms around his neck and attaches herself to him again, her lips colliding with his.

"Ya tryin' to eat me girl?" he chuckles against her lips. She pulls back and smirks, her hands now pushing his vest off his shoulders and unbuttoning the buttons in his slightly ripped up shirt.

"Nah...but you can do it to me," she whispers seductively into his ear, sticking her tongue out and running it up slowly along the side of his ear. He growls at her statement and pushes her onto the ground just as she had ripped off his shirt, throwing it to the side. His hands run up her sides while they kissed. His fingers wrap around the clasp of her bra and he expertly takes it off, throwing it to the side where his shirt lay.

He detaches his mouth from hers and begins to travel down her body, planting hot, scorching kisses on her skin. Her jaw, her neck, her chest, between her breasts as well as on, down her stomach. As he did this, he ran his other hand in between the fabric that separated her skin from the outside. She cried out slightly, almost whimpering as his thumb started to rub small circles around her clit.

He chuckles at her reaction. As his movements speed up, she digs her nails into the ground beneath her. One of his fingers inserts himself into her and she moans out, her hips arching slightly.

"All that for me?" he questions softly, almost taunting her. Another finger joins the other as he starts to move them in a 'come here' motion. All she could focus on was what he was doing with his fingers, all the pleasure she was feeling, so the best she could muster was a weak nod, her eyes shutting and her mouth biting down on itself. She would attract every walker within a twenty mile radius.

So why did that turn her on even more?

As she feels her orgasm starting to build, she moves against his fingers. Deep down, somewhere, her mind says _Get him in you before you cum, Lucy! _But yet again, her body had a mind of it's own, and she kept moving until she saw stars, every single sense of the word pleasure rocketing through her veins as she bite down on her lip to silence the groan that wanted to escape. After she comes down from her high, she glares at him.

"I...wanted...Fuck, Daryl," she pants, pulling him to her and messily kissing him. He smirks, pulling back.

"Ya want what?" he teases, his fingers moving back down. Her cheeks redden.

"Daryl, you didn't even take off my pants," she mumbles. He shrugs.

"Didn't want to wait. Still haven't told me," he murmurs, kissing up her neck again. her shoulders slump in slightly tiredness and anger at what he was saying.

"Daryl, you fucking know," she growls out, her Brooklyn accent coming out thicker than it had in a long time.

"Nah...wanna hear ya say it." She bites her lip.

"I want you to...make love to me." She could feel her face grow hotter as she said it, but it was all worth it when he came over her and her hands went to his belt. Her pants didn't have anything on it, and were already slightly pulled down from his little show, but he took them away, practically ripping them from her legs as she took his own pants down.

"Whatever ya say, darlin'," he whispers softly, bringing her up slightly so he could lay another sweet kiss on her lips. She didn't even know she could still get turned on even more, but as he said those words all she felt was the wetness building up in her core. Without another word, he aligned himself at her entrance and slipped in with ease. She breathed out a shaky breath and buried her head in his neck, biting back the moan.

"Shit," she murmurs. He pulls back, trying to control himself from exploding right there and then. Even after every time they did this, it still felt like he could never get enough of her. She always felt amazing, no matter what, and he knew that that was something special, something he could only have with Lucy.

"Ya ready?" he gets out in his struggling state. She looks up, and without words, nods slightly, giving him a slow and loving peck. He takes this as the initiative to move, and he starts to slowly pull in and out of her, gaining speed with almost every thrust. Her hips rocked against his as she disconnected her lips again, burying her head once more in his neck. She couldn't let herself get lost and be stupid. Even if she was doing this, she wanted to be smart and not die.

His hands traveled all over her, wanting to touch every single part of her body that he could see. Her hands ran down his back as he kept going, slowly tracing his scars. Every single touch made him want to cum, every single little fucking touch, but it wasn't until she pulled back slightly, at full speed, and she looked him straight in the eyes, hers half closed. Blue connected with blue, and it seemed their eyes mirrored their own emotions: Love, Want, Desire, and Need.

Lots and lots of need.

Her hands still traveled over his scars as he picked up speed, and her little tiny whimpers drove him crazy, but their eyes still stayed locked on each other. She leans up and kissed him slowly.

"I love you," she murmurs, and his grip tightens on her. "You're perfect."

"Fuck that," he grinds out. "I'm nothin'." She shakes her head, her hands still traveling down his back.

"Perfect," she simply murmurs again, leaning up and kissing him one more. He feels himself starting to keel over, so his finger goes between where their two bodies were joining, rubbing her clit once again in fast, circular movements.

"Come on, girl," he murmurs into her ear, his gravely voice sending shivers up her spine. "Cum for me." She unravels in his arms, her voice being muffled by his lips on hers instead of his shoulder. Her release ignites his own, and he lets himself shoot deep inside her, burying his head in her hair. "Fuck," he groans as he comes down. She pants slightly and snickers, leaning up and pecking his cheek.

"I love you so much," she whispers, bringing her hand up and stroking his cheek. He collapses slightly, keeping himself up to prevent her from being crushed.

"I love ya too," he speaks quietly. He gives her another quick and loving peck before falling to her right. Without a moments hesitation, he wraps his arms around her and pulls her closer to him. She snuggles deep into his chest and traces her finger over one of his tattoos that laid on his chest. She never thought she would be into a guy with as many tattoos as he had, but it just turned her on.

His head buries itself in her neck and he sniffs slightly, taking in her scent. Even in this fucked up world, she smelt amazing, just like berries.

"You know, we should probably head back," she giggles slightly, glancing at him. His grip only tightens.

"Fuck that," he mumbles. "Not movin' an inch. Too fucking tired." She smiles at him.

"So I tire you out?" she chuckles. He rolls his eyes, planting another kiss on the top of her head.

"Go to sleep, woman. We'll be fine. Crossbow aint that far." She looks around and her brow furrows. She didn't even know he brought it out with him. Damn. She needed to be a bit more observant. Either way, she sighs happily and closes her eyes, falling into a peaceful sleep with Daryl by her side, his arms wrapped protectively around her.

**~%~**

It took them nearly the whole morning to get back to the zone. Lucy had been the first one to wake up, and that had been a journey, considering she could not escape Daryl's arms as they tightened around her as soon as she tried to break free and get dressed. It took some convincing, and a bit of pushing, as well as kissing, but the stubborn man had woken up, and both had made their way back to the group, now dressed.

When they got back, Lucy received knowing looks from all her friends, the most daily one to recognize being Quinn's. Her reply was a punch to the shoulder.

As they all walked back to the zone, feelings arranged themselves from tense to peaceful. The first hour had been nothing but constantly looking around, seeing if any of the Hospital or Terminus people were following them somehow. As another hour passed, every started to loosen up a bit, and talking ensued, though quiet talking, as not to attract the walkers that were probably in the area.

Speaking of walkers, they only had a few to kill. Only some wandered out, and Lucy took that as a good sign. Maybe they were dying out, literally.

Lucy took in everyone as they talked, who was staying with you. Maggie was obviously right next to Glenn, and both were talking, at times holding hands. The couple with the small child was near Rick and crew, talking to them happily, seeming that they were around the same age. The twins, Jack, Fred and Beth were all in their small little group. Some things she could hear that they were talking about was movies. Felt good to know that there was at least some sort of normalcy happening right now. Quinn, Tara and Joey were leading the way.

Henry, on the other hand, wasn't really talking at all. He more or less stuck near Lucy and Daryl, probably because he wanted to see Lily, while Lucy walked next to Daryl. Both kept their eyes peeled ahead, Lucy's going back and forth from Henry to the group to the woods. To be honest the kid sort of reminded her of Harry Potter. Same features, same bravery, and was an orphan.

She wondered if he read the books.

It wasn't long before the zone came into view, and the first thing that Lucy saw was Mr and Mrs. Harris rushing up to Quinn and giving her a tight hug, and Lucy was followed right after. As soon as she had been released from their tight grip, her and Daryl set off towards the infirmary, Henry behind them. He didn't want to be introduced to anyone before he could see that Lily was okay.

They peek into the infirmary and Lucy smiles when she sees Sam on the end of Lily's bed and Emily chuckling at what the two were saying. Lucy knocks on the glass and all three of the kids look up. A bright smile spreads across Sam's face and she jumps from the bed and onto the floor.

"Mommy!" she exclaims. Lucy laughs and takes the running girl up into her arms. She plants a quick kiss on the girls forehead and smiles at her.

"Hey, sweetie," she chuckles. Sam looks at Daryl, her smile still plastered on her face.

"Why were you gone so long?" she asks cutely, her fingers reaching out and brushing a stray piece of his hair away from his eyes. He smiles small at the little gesture.

"Had some trouble, but were okay now," he replies quietly. Emily stands up from her spot on the bed and walks over.

"You sure you're okay?" she asks. "You guys were gone longer than expected. Bad things happened while you were gone." Lucy sighs.

"Yeah, we know," she mumbles. "Please tell me you didn't tell Lily," she mouths. Emily shakes her head no.

"What did you guys get?" Lily asks from her bed, still hooked up to her tubes. Lucy had found out from before that the medicine being fed into her veins actually kept her at ease, but she had to leave the infirmary at some point. Lily let out a painful cough after she spoke before shaking her head, trying to ease her way up a bit. "That hurt," she chuckles slightly. Daryl walks over and takes out the bottle of medicine from his pocket.

"Got ya somethin' that might help," he speaks, sitting next to her on the bed. He gives it to her and a huge smile spreads across her face.

"You got me it!" she says happily. He shrugs, thought a half smile was presented on his face.

"Ya needed it," he mumbles, a bit embarrassed. She looks at the label and her face lightens up even more.

"Bubblegum!" she speaks happily. While she fussed over the bottle, Emily looked behind Lucy and saw a boy hiding slightly. Her brow furrows.

"Who's this?" she asks, her head tilting around Lucy to see. Lucy steps aside and pushes Henry slightly into the room as Lily took her first dosage of the medicine. Sam stared curiously after the boy, her head on her mothers shoulder.

"This...is Henry." Lily's head snaps up and her smiles expands. It seemed she had never ending smiles on her face, even after everything.

"Henry!" she exclaims. Emily's brow furrows even more.

"You know him?" she asks as Henry approached the girl. Lucy nods for Lily.

"He tried to help her escape. Got hurt doing it." Emily nods slightly.

"Well, he has my respect for that," she murmurs slightly, watching the near age kids react to each other. "Feels nice that you guys are back. Whole entire zone was worried. Carol's gone missing and we have no clue where she went. We should have killed her," she mumbles darkly. Lucy bites her lip.

"I know you want to. Hell, so do I. But when she comes back, and you know she will, we'll be ready." Emily nods, her eyes still concentrated on Lily, Henry and Daryl. She smiles slightly.

"You know, he's really good with kids," she whispers. Lucy snorts quietly.

"Don't I know it," she mumbles. Emily glances down at the floor, but not before something shiny on Lucy's finger catches her attention. Her eyes widen and her jaw drops. She nudges Lucy in the side.

"Is that...?" Her words trail off as she points to the ring. Lucy smiles slightly, nodding her head. Emily smiles. "I had a feeling he was gonna do that soon. You guys are perfect for each other...I never really knew what that was like." Lucy's brow furrows.

"What do you mean?"

"Lily told me she told Daryl, but I guess he didn't get the chance to tell you. Lily's not actually my sister. She's my foster sister. We grew up as orphans. I never really had a family until now." Lucy smiles sadly at the teenager. She knew orphans always got put down, especially girls her age. People always thought that if you didn't get adopted before you turned ten, there was something wrong with you.

"We're your family," she satiates softly. "Everyone here. No one gets left behind. Not anymore." Emily smiles.

"I know that. I'm happy...and so is she." Lucy smiles at the little girl, already seemingly better because of the medicine. Sam's head perks up as her brow furrows. Lucy looks at her, a confused expression on her face

"What's wrong, baby?" Sam shakes her head.

"Nothing just...Emily's been reading these books for the past few days. He looks like the boy on the cover," she tells Lucy. The woman laughs slightly, turning to Emily.

"Was it Harry Potter?" Emily's eyes widen in disbelief.

"Yeah," she chuckles. "How-"

"I thought that too," she replies. A sudden thought crosses her mind as she watches them. They still had a birthday party to throw for Maggie. Even with everything that had happened, she was not letting her hopes get dwindled by the bitch you escaped, and by the Termites of all people. They were gonna have fun for once.

**~%~**

**I didn't know how to end this but I did XD next chapter will have some interesting stuff in it. Got it all planned out :)**

**Review please? :) Luv ya!**


	24. Chapter 24

**So as you people can see I'm taking my time writing this story, because I've been focusing on school and keeping track of everything, and I've been doing amazingly well as well. Thank ****you to** _DarylDixon'sLover, ErinGoesRawr, and __jeanf _**for reviewing my story! and thanks to the new followers and favorites. Ya'll are awesome too. **

**Note: This is also going to be very shorter compared to others, because I'm thinking the next chapter might be the beginning of the end :) Now, on with the story!**

**~%~**

The next day came by quickly. In fact, it seemed to go by quicker than most. After a joyous reunion of all the people who left came back safely, Lucy had been the first one to go to bed, taking Sam with her. Everyone was tired, especially her, and the memories of the screams haunted her endlessly. She kept thinking she could have helped them, gotten the people out, but she cared selfishly about herself and her friends. Who know what could be happening to those people?

Then there was also the fact that Carol wasn't there anymore, and she was out somewhere in the wild, probably planning her murder. Lucy could only think that she would be looking for the Terminus people, considering she teamed up with them before. Thinking of that brought the topic of Fred to her mind.

She bit her lip as they traveled to him. The fact that he could be the rapist of Lily seemed almost impossible. He was so nice and helpful, and looked frail to say the least. He was throwing up like a god damn crazy man the other day when they had been trapped in the hospital. No matter what she thought, Daryl's words always crept back into her head, trying to find a way to figure out if he was the man or not. It pained her to think he might be. He was nice to be around, especially since he was from Brooklyn too.

She slept her thoughts away and woke up the next morning to an empty bed. Since Emily, and probably Lily when she left the infirmary, had moved into their apartment, the small family had been moved to a bigger area on the third floor of the mill, where they could all sleep comfortably. Lifting her head, she looks around for Daryl's body, but finds it was completely missing.

Groaning slightly, she leans up and slowly gets out of bed, pushing her dark brown curls out of her blue eyes. As she walked down the hallway to the main entrance, she peeked into Sam's room and saw she was gone as well. Walking a bit further, she cheeks to see if Emily was there, and she in fact seemed to be the only once still sleeping, her hand hanging off the side of the bed as her back moved up and down, her nose twitching as she dreamt.

Another stray bed waited in there for Lily when she would finally be free of the infirmary, and Lucy smiles. She wa sappy the medication was working so quickly, and hopefully the nine year old would be released soon.

Walking towards the door, she places on her boots quickly and exits the apartment quietly, making her way towards the staircase and heading downstairs to find the rest of her family. As soon as she reaches the bottom floor, a gun shot goes off and she jumps, looking out the closest window, seeing if walkers had somehow gotten in, but simply sighs deeply, letting out a soft chuckle when she realizes what it was.

Daryl was leaning down on the ground next to Sam, who held a gun in her hands, helping her with her position and stance, and afterwards covering her ears from the blast as she practiced. On any other day, Lucy would be pissed off that he was teaching her how to shoot, but right now she just wanted to watch them. Hunter was running around slightly, chasing bugs as they flew in the air.

"Is that good?" Sam asks, placing her gun lower. Daryl bites his lip a bit.

"A bit higher." She moves her small hands just a little and he stops her. "Perfect. Now, aim at the center of that tree. That's it. Right there." Sam moves them again, the barrel of the gun pointed straight at the trunk. Daryl's hands covered her ears and he nods. "Shoot."

A painful ring echoes in the ear as Sam shoots. She jumps in the air at the shock of the sound, but was pleasetnyl surprised to find that she did hit the area she had aimed at. Daryl smiles a bit.

"Good job, Sammy." She smiles slightly but shakes her head.

"I really don't like that sound. It's too loud." Daryl chuckles slightly.

"Ya will get used to it after practicing more." She turns around and smiles up at him, but her brow furrows. Leaning slightly, she brings her hand up that wasn't holding the gun and swipes something at his head. Daryl's own brow furrows. "What was that for?"

"You had a bug on your head," she mumbles, watching it fly through the air. After a moment, it lands on her nose. Daryl saw that it was a young butterfly, very small. It moves and causes her nose to twitch. She sneezes cutely and it flies off in Hunter's direction. As soon as the dog saw it, he barks loudly and runs towards the insect, right where Sam was standing.

The momentum of the dog running knocked the girl down to the floor as he crashed through them, chasing the butterfly around the yard. Sammy starts to giggle as Hunter comes back over and begins to lick her face once he realized the butterfly was a lost cause. Daryl snickers at the sight.

"Okay, Hunter. Get off the girl," he chuckles, pushing the dog slightly. Hunter jumps off and runs back into the zone, narrowly missing Lucy as she hid. She chuckles as the dog runs up the stairs. He was so hyper half the time, which was the complete opposite of how he was when they first found him, all alone.

"Hunter's adorable," Sam laughs as Daryl helps her off the ground.

"Hey. He aint adorable. He's a tough dog." Even Sam found that unbelievable, according to the look of disbelief that crossed the little girls face. Daryl breaks at this, a chuckle escaping him. "Okay, don't tell no one. He's soft." Sam smiles.

"I already knew that. I'm smart." Daryl smiles at her.

"Yeah, ya are. Just like yer mama." The sound of a small stomach grumbling caused his mind to go into command mode. "Now go on inside. Get somethin' to eat before ya starve." Sam smiles wider and nods.

"Okay. Thank's for teaching me how to shoot, daddy." Daryl's smile slipped as he stared at the small girl in shock, but before he could ask Sam had already taken off into the mill. Lucy hid deeper in the shadows as Sam sped past her at the speed of light, her hand over her mouth in shock as well.

Sam called him daddy.

She was nearly falling apart on the inside. If that didn't make her happy, she didn't know what would. She peeks back outside and still sees him staring at the ground, trying to process what just happened. Smiling, she steps out, pulling her sweater closer around her shoulders.

"Hey," she says quietly. He looks up from the ground and sees Lucy walking towards him. "I heard that."

"She really just call me that?" he asks softly. She smiles.

"Yeah, she did." She pulls him up with a grasp of her hand and gives him a quick peck on the lips, surprising him. When she pulls back, her smile widens. "I'm not surprised though. Technically you are."

He chuckles at this, looking back towards the mill. "Ya think I'd be a good one?" he murmurs. Lucy snorts.

"Of course you would be. She already called you it," she snickers. "No matter what you like to think, you're great with kids, and you would make a fantastic dad." He looks back down at the ground, but she could see a small half-smile on his face.

"How's Lily doing?" he asks quietly. Lucy shrugs.

"Better, I think. She'll be out of there soon enough, runnin' around just like Sam. I think those two are already best friends." She grabs his hand and pulls him near the mill. "How long you been out here teaching her?" He shrugs.

"Since she woke up. Been a while."

"Did she follow orders, Mr. Dixon?" she smiles. He snickers at the nickname.

"Don't call me that. Makes me feel old." She smirks up at him.

"Won't be long until you're weak and withering, trying to keep your legs-" Her speech was cut short when he slammed her into the wall behind her as they reached the mill, his lips connecting with hers sloppily. She fully lets what she was gonna say leave her brain as all her thoughts travel down below, her arms wrapping around his neck as instincts took over, her fingers tangling in his messy dark brow hair.

"Ya should stop runnin' that mouth," he growls against her lips. "People might think yer bad." She smirks, moving her hands downwards towards the obvious bulge in his pants, giving it a firm squeeze. He groans at her touch and bucks upwards instinctively, his hips grinding against her own.

"I wouldn't be surprised. I'm very, very dirty," she whispers seductively into his ear, nibbling it slightly. Without a further moments hesitation, he pulls her inside of the mill, causing her to giggle at his eagerness. Dragging her into the nearest room, he closes the door behind them and locks it, then places her up against the very object, clawing at her sweater and bringing it to the ground.

"I want ya so fuckin' much," he rasps out between pants of breath as his lips started to trail down her neck, hands crawling underneath her shirt to take it off.

"Then take me," she replies. In an instant, clothes were removed and thrown onto the floor and he was already going at it. This wasn't slow and gentle. This was rough and animalistic, and Lucy was completely okay with it. When she was younger, she always wanted her special intimate moments to be nice and redeeming, but with Daryl she didn't care as long as she got him inside her before she came.

Plus, that was what she liked about him. He wasn't a man who was always in your face. He kept it to a minimum, and gave her everything she could ever want, and she couldn't ask for anything more.

He pushes her against the door as he thrust hard and deep into her warm core in one swift movement. Both moan out loudly and Lucy had to bite down on his shoulder to calm herself from attracting everyone in the mill over to where the room was. There wasn't any talking after that. Just pure and automatic lust driven sex. The only sounds that were exchanged were groans, moans and the whimpers of pleasure that surged between them every time their hips met.

"Ah, f-fuck," Lucy stutters, her nails digging deeper into Daryl's back. She was positive that they would leave marks. "Jesus, you feel s-so g-good." Her mind was at complete ease right now, and she was complete putty in his hands. If anything his pace increased and she whimpered into his shoulder as she tried to quiet herself down. She didn't need someone to walk in.

"Mine," he growls into her ear as he gripped onto her tighter, sending shivers down her spine. "Aint no one else's in this fucked up world. Mine and only mine." Her eyes were clinched shut as she felt pure pleasure starting to rocket through her as his fingers moved downwards and rubbed at her clit. It always seemed then that she fell apart. "Come on, Lucy. Cum for me."

"Shit!" she exclaims into his shoulder, her body shaking as she rode out her orgasm. Not even moments later, he came with a choked groan into her neck, shooting deep inside her. She waits a minute to calm her breath and then pulls his head up to meet hers in a sloppy kiss yet again. "I'm yours. I fucking love you, so much." Daryl pulls back and looks down at her naked hips.

"Did I hurt ya?" he murmurs slightly, rubbing his hand over the sensitive skin. She smiles. Even after what they just did, he was still the most caring man she had ever met.

"Not at all," she giggles. His hand moves up her sides and stops, resting on top of her stomach. Her brow furrows as she sees how he was looking, like he was thinking hard. "You okay, babe?"

"Remember when we talked about havin' a kid?" he asks quietly. A shocked expression comes over her face, but she nods slightly, indicating she remembered. "I...I want to." She smiles small.

"Really?" she whispers. He shrugs slightly, and she could see the slight doubt on his face at her words.

"I mean, we don't gotta. I just...you know," he mumbles. She smiles wide.

"What changed your mind?" He shrugs again, this time seeing he was a bit uncomfortable with the subject.

"I guess Sam and Lily...little bit of Emily. I don't know, just...the picture of a little Dixon runnin' around scares me but makes me laugh at the same time," he replies, laughing a bit at the end. "I just don't..want ya to get hurt, or killed...if it was to happen." Her smile widens slightly.

"I wouldn't mind that," she murmurs slightly, leaning in and pecking his lips softly. "Not at all. But right now, we gotta get dressed and help with our little party. Remember? Fun times for once." He snorts lightly.

"Then the walkers will come," he mumbles. She gives him a look, telling him to 'shut the hell up.'

"They won't," she chastises, stepping out of his grip and walking over to her shed clothes. "Hurry up. We got things to do, Daddy Dixon." She gasps as she feels him slap her ass playfully, her cheeks turning red. Turning her head, she raises an eyebrow to his smirk.

"Watch it."

**~%~**

It took them the whole day, but sooner or later they had gotten the place ready. Lucy had actually been the one watching people smile, and laugh and decorate the place for the party they were going to have. They had gotten plenty of things, plenty of supplies, and enough good food to last the night. She wished they could make pizza. That had been one of the things she missed the most from the past world. Pizza and movies.

Nothing like that combination at movie theaters.

By the end of the day, everything was ready and Lucy was in her small, little home, hearing all the girls talk wildly in the living room. Daryl had gone out to help with some of the food downstairs with Rick, and Lucy smiled at the mental of image of them. Their bond was like hers and Quinn's: strong, like nothing could ever break it, and she knew that even in the most darkest of times, Quinn was always there.

She wondered how she had been doing lately. Ever since they got back to the mill days ago, they hadn't really had the chance to talk because of how busy both of them had been. Lucy had been introducing the group to everyone at the mill, as well as getting Beth aquatinted with the place, and Quinn had been busy with Logan and Matt, as well as her leader duties. Her whole entire family, practically, was the people leading the mill, and doing a good damn job.

Peaking into the mirror of her room, looking through the open door, she sees Emily and Sam fussing over Lily's hair, who was laughing. Lily had finally been discharged from the infirmary by the end of the day, and she was happy to be able to breath normally and walk normally. Lucy saw that her bandaged were still there, as well as some of the cuts and bruises from the week before, but she seemed happy overall.

It amazed Lucy how well she was doing after everything she had been through. All she did was just pray everyday that she didn't have another mental breakdown like she did when she saw Carol. The woman was gone but Lily still didn't know, which Lucy thought was best. If she knew Carol had gotten out, she would freak.

Lily still hadn't met any of the new group yet, so she was wondering if seeing Fred might set something off. She really wanted to believe that he didn't do it, but for some reason, she felt like he was related to it somehow.

Shaking her head, she glances back into the mirror to see the girls still talking, their mouths running in fast motions as they kept going.

"Your hair is so tangled," Emily grunts as she runs a brush through Lily's blonde curls. Lily shrugs her shoulders.

"I was in a bed for a week. What do you expect?" Emily rolls her eyes.

"Maybe just a little less knots?" she mumbles annoyed. Sam laughs at her expression.

"You look mad," she snickers. Emily sticks her tongue out at her.

"Of course I am. Lily, cut off your hair," she teases. Granted, Emily was happy her hair was slightly longer. When she found her, she had nothing but a blonde bob that barely reached her ears, but now it was down to her neck, thankfully. She looked more like a girl and less like a guy.

"Heck no!"

Lucy smiles at the girls laughter and turns around, looking at them. All of them had on some sort of formal attire that they had found. Sam and Lily in dresses that almost reached their knees and Emily had on a simple pair of jeans with a blouse, her reply being 'I'm not wearing no damn dress.'

Suddenly Hunter runs through the living room chasing something, and Sam falls to the ground as Hunter runs right through her legs, and then through Lily's, knocking her balance off and sending both her and Emily to the ground as well. . Lucy's eyes widen as she falls to the ground and the dog barks.

"Are you okay?" Lucy says, rushing over to the girls. Her question was answered when she saw Sam giggling as the dog barked.

"Super dooper, mom!" Sam laughs, and the two girls giggle.

"Let's do that again!" Lily snickers. Lucy smiles and helps them all up, her spirit brightening as she saw them laugh and smile, something that was rare in this world.

"What on earth was he chasing?" Emily asks, looking around for the large dog. Lucy shrugs.

"Who knows?" she snickers. "Probably some bug." She looks at the clock hanging on the wall and nods towards the door. "Why don't you head on downstairs. I'll meet you down there soon." The three girls nod and run off giggling, while Lucy laughs. Those three girls would be the death of her.

She follows the dog, who was staring outside the window at the flying fireflies outside, blinking on and off into the night. Walking over, she gently pets the dogs head as he licks her hand lovingly.

"We've been together for a long time, haven't we?" she murmurs, leaning down to the floor to the dogs height. He licks her face, leaving a wet trail up up cheek. Instead of shying away, she grins. "I love you too," she chuckles, petting him. "Wanna know what Daryl said to me today? He said he wanted to have a family with me." Hunter's tongue sticks out as he pants at her words. "What he doesn't know is that there's already something growing inside me," she mumbles.

She had taken the test the day before in secret, stealing one from the infirmary when no one had been watching, and it had come out positive. When she first held it, she was absolutely surprised, because after Sam and how she was conceived, she was almost positive that it would take a long time to get pregnant again, but that was apparently not the case now. Then she decided she would wait a week and tell him later on, but now, she automatically wanted to run downstairs and pull him aside to get it out.

She was nervous. That was for sure, but she knew that Daryl would be there for her. He was always there for her, no matter what happened, whether she was taken or sick, he would be there to keep her going, and if not, which she highly doubted, Quinn and her friends would.

"Lucy?" she hears from the door. The younger girl looks up and sees Quinn leaning against the doorway, her arms crossed. Lucy took her in, from the beautiful, knee length black dress to the blonde hair in a bun. A bright smile adorned her face. "You ready to go?" she snickers, walking into the room and helping her up. Hunter sits up and rubs off to his bed to rest while Lucy smiles.

"Yeah...Quinn?" she says softly. Quinn quirks an eyebrow.

"What?"

"I'm pregnant." Quinn's eyes widen.

"Really?!" she whispers. Lucy smiles, nodding. "Have you told Daryl?"

"Not yet," she laughs slightly. "But I'm gonna tell him tonight." Quinn smiles.

"That's fantastic, Lucy." Quinn reaches down and grabs her hand. "Really. I'm so happy for you two. You deserve this. And you know what else we deserve?"

"What?"

"This party. Come on!" Lucy laughs as Quinn pulls her outside. As they reach the hallway, Lucy feels Quinn let go of her hand, but could only guess that was for purposes of getting to the place quicker than they would have before.

"You know, I should-" She turns around to face Quinn, but finds she was no where to be seen, and every door was closed, indicating that she wasn't in any of the rooms. Her brow furrows as she walks back down the hallway. "Quinn?" she yells out, looking for a voice to reply.

It was a blow to the head and a scream of protest that caused Lucy's world to turn black and for her unconscious body to go tumbling to the ground. Looks like the party was going to have to wait.

**~%~**

**Review please? :) Luv ya! I know's it been forever since I've updated, but trust me, schools been kicking my ass. XD Thanks for reading!**


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